Mignoni Jewelry and Gifts… An entire Family of GEMS!
by Cate Murway
85 years hasn’t tarnished the sparkle in Carolyn Elizabeth Mignoni’s eyes. Quite the entrepreneur, Mrs. Mignoni purchased the 60year store location for Mignoni Jewelry and Gifts upon her husband’s request, while Carmen Mignoni was serving in the Navy. Carolyn Elizabeth, born on July 11, 1921, lived with her family of 6 brothers and sisters and her parents, James, a Railroad worker & Rose Marino on Dorrance Street. After attending St. Ann Elementary School, Carolyn mastered a two-year business course with a proficiency in typing and shorthand, and then started her working career at J.G. McCrory's five & dime store on Mill Street. [aside.- John Graham McCrorey was born with the last name "McCrorey" and legally changed his name, dropping the e, to save money by not paying the cost of the extra letter in store signs.] When Fleetwings built a new factory in 1941 on Green Lane at the Keystone / Kaiser / 3M Airport, Carolyn started a new career as a typist/ secretary to the purchasing agent of wartime aircraft parts and fervently worked her way up to an administrative position, having a secretary of her own! Miss Marino met Carmen Mignoni at a family wedding officiated by her Priest-Uncle and they continued their “writing “ courtship during Lt. Mignoni’s Naval assignments. Carmen, a Millersville University graduate, was commended for Excellent Service aboard the S.S. Hoggett Bay and the picture is prominently shown in Mignoni’s store. They were married in 1943 and while Carolyn waited for Carmen to complete his Navy tour, she lived with her in-laws, owners of The Bristol House [now Stock's Waterfront Restaurant].
During his teen years, Carmen worked in his family’s restaurant, trained to be a chef, and apprenticed in Atlantic City. Per the Mignoni family, Mr. Mignoni had the astounding ability of being able “to create something from practically nothing”, designing and selling his crafted jewelry, his notoriety mainly being “word of mouth”. They opened their small store at 200 Mill Street, with big dreams, while Carmen was still teaching Math and Industrial Arts at the Bristol H.S. With his charismatic personality, he connected easily with fellow jewelry tradesmen, honing his innate skills, while attending watch –making and engraving schools and the Gemological Institute of America in NYC. The Mignonis raised their 6 children at the same time as growing and maintaining their truly amazing jewelry business and acquiring The Tinker’s Cart, a neighboring store with a fine array of Gaelic custom merchandise. Mignoni’s extended store has an incredible selection of Irish gifts, including Saint Brigid’s crosses crafted by Naomh Padraig, and Claddagh rings, Ireland’s most romantic and enduring Celtic jewelry tradition.
Most of the family, still Bristol Borough residents, all very talented with educational and musical backgrounds, work in the family- run, full service jewelry and gift store business. Carol, a member of BCCC Board of Trustees and Board of Directors Ex-Officio and her late husband [William] Paul Ferguson, who has been fondly remembered for being most generous with his time and dubbed “Citizen of the World”, have traveled to Russia, China and Ireland to secure products and ideas. Discovered on one of their last UK jaunts, the store proudly displays the hand-made popular deep cobalt blue Bristol Blue Glass. Ann, who has taught in the Bristol Borough Elementary Schools and her husband, John V. Mundy, Principal of St. Joseph the Worker School and founder/coordinator of the Mill Street Run and their daughter, Christine Leffler make yearly trips to Ireland for the International shows. One of their purchases are Hanna Hats of Donegal, which are uniquely cut to patterns assembled by hand using the finest Donegal tweed (pure new wool) woven exclusively for Hanna Hats. Multi-talented in design, watch repair and engraving, Rosemarie Szczucki, a Valley Elementary School teacher in the Bensalem district, and her husband Charles [Chet] researched and acquired Baltic Amber from Poland, which was originally collected from the beaches of the Baltic as it floated ashore. Now commercial supplies of amber are also dredged from deposits in the forests bordering the Baltic. Janet, [husband Dr. Vincent LaRosa] works in administration in the Lower Bucks Hospital; Marylin Tierney is a Chicago, IL teacher; and son, Samuel Mignoni, a Boston University grad, is Director of Nursing Education in Michigan.
Céad Míle Fàilte! [Irish Gaelic A Hundred Thousand Welcomes] Come visit Mignoni Jewelry and Gifts and you visit the family and their friends and their family! Pictures of up to and including the 4th generation of customers, some wearing their specially designed Mignoni jewelry, grace the mantle. Celebration occasion pictures, such as Matriarch Mignoni’s 84th Birthday Family Cruise, adorn the walls. Certificates of Achievement boast accomplishments proven consistently by the family’s artistic designs. They are the original Hummel distributor. The neat as a pin cases display Belleek china, watches and clocks, Galway crystal, gold chains and cameos from Italy, but the “PEARLS of wisdom” which come from speaking with this remarkable family are what make your visit such a heart-warming experience. The Mignoni extended Clan still creates time together to share Sunday “spaghetti and gravy” because the Mignonis are taught to know that family and relationships are what is important.
Store hours are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 10:45 a.m.- 5:30 p.m., Thursday 10:45 a.m.- 7:00 p.m., Friday 10:45 a.m.- 8:00 p.m., Saturday 10:45 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Closed Sundays [Open Sundays in December and for Bristol Borough events].
All major credit cards are accepted. Beautiful gift-wrapping. Will ship or deliver!
Call 215.788.3243. Come in and share a cup of freshly brewed Irish Tea!
We’ll keep the light on for you!
www.mignonijewelry.com
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Carolyn E. Mignoni
Bucks County Courier Times
Bristol Boro Resident
Carolyn E. Mignoni (nee Marino), age 86, daughter of the late James and Rose (nee Cuccarese) Marino, of Bristol Boro, passed away on Thursday, September 27, 2007, surrounded by her loving family.
Born and raised in Bristol, she was a graduate of St. Ann School and graduated Valedictorian of St. Ann Business School. She was also a recipient of the American Legion Award and the Grundy Medal, both for Outstanding Academic Achievement. She, along with her late husband Carmen, founded and operated Mignoni Jewelry on Mill Street in Bristol Boro. The jewelry store was founded in 1947, and continues today to be a cornerstone of the Mill Street Business District. She had the distinction of being quoted in "The National Jeweler" concerning her opinion on jewelry trends and the intricacies of the day-to-day operation of an independent retailer. In 1992, she was named to the Who's Who of American Business Women.
Carolyn had a genuine interest in people and the gift of making everyone feel special. The hospitality of her home was boundless, as was the size of her heart. She loved Bristol Boro, its heritage and the character of her people. She was a devout Roman Catholic who was tireless in the practice of its faith and its teachings as it affected everyone around her.
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Jeweler strikes gold with tin roof
By: ELIZABETH FISHER Bucks County Courier Times
Old buildings have "many ceilings and many floors," a local jeweler said, but peeling them away brings its own surprises.
You'd expect to find silver and gold and a sprinkle of sparkles in a jewelry store, but at Mignoni's Jewelers on Mill Street in Bristol, one of the best gems has been hidden for decades: an original tin ceiling, dating back to the dawn of the last century.
The big "find" occurred during renovations to the store that began a year ago. When a drop ceiling was peeled away, the patterned tin overhead, which probably was installed between 1902 and 1910, was revealed, said contractor Scott DeMarchis, who's been doing the work at Mignoni's with his father, Chet.
The discovery started a lengthy debate on whether small areas of damaged tin could be easily replaced and, more importantly, who could replicate the design to match the existing panels, Chet said.
"It's was a beautiful old ceiling and you wouldn't really want to cover it up again," he said.
The debate and the research were on. Scott, the computer "guru" of the firm as his father admits, began sifting through tin-ceiling manufacturers online. It was work, but he eventually struck gold in Ontario, Canada, where Brian Greer has operated a tin-ceiling business for 40 years.
"Brian was great. He spent the best part of a Sunday morning talking on the phone," Scott said. "He was very helpful."
A short time later, the DeMarchises received samples of tin panels from Greer that the duo decided were "close enough" to the original pattern.
Father and son were no strangers to installing tin ceilings, or to repairing them, because many of the old houses in Bristol have them. But patching those ceilings with the new panels is delicate work, Chet said.
"The tin is razor sharp and this ceiling has some bumps in it because of age," he said. "Repair work is very different from installation."
Tin ceilings were the rage in the 1800s, but over the years were removed from many structures in favor of plaster or, later, dry wall. But timing's the thing, and the Mignoni family discovered their treasure at a time when overhead tin is again the rage of interior designers.
Carol Mignoni Ferguson said that after much discussion, the decision was made to keep the ceiling.
"We never saw that in our lifetime," said Mignoni Ferguson, who, with her four sisters and one brother, grew up in the jewelry store at 200 Mill St., which was opened by their parents, Carmen and Carolyn Mignoni, in 1947.
The drop ceiling probably was installed about that time, Mignoni Ferguson said.
Carmen Mignoni, who was a jewelry maker and a teacher in the Bristol Borough School District, died about 15 years ago, and Carolyn died last year. The children continue to run the store.
The building that houses the store dates back to 1781. The Mignoni family tailored the renovations to a "period" look to preserve its historical ambience. That's where Jesse Graves, owner of JessGravesDesigns, comes in.
Graves happened to go into the store about a year ago. She noticed the contractors and asked about the ongoing work. The designer in her surfaced and she began offering suggestions. Soon she became immersed in cabinet making, display-case installation and lighting design.
She added a display case near the back of the store to show off the dozens of Byers Choice figures dressed in historical, cultural or ethnic costumes. She opened what was once a storage closet and added shelves for display.
The new lighting in the store - a combination of chandeliers and pendant lights with crinkled halogen bulbs - adds a soft glow to the merchandise "and gives it a pristine, elegant look," Graves said.
One of Graves' favorite finds was when some soffits were removed with an eye toward adding molding to replace pegboard panels. That's when she discovered the finishing touches to the tin with an old-fashioned egg-and-arrow design.
That trim, like the ceiling it borders, will remain, she said.
The work has been intense, but it's also fun, Mignoni Ferguson said. The store remains open while the work continues and customers have added their two cents in the form of suggestions.
"Some said to leave the ceiling open. Others said cover it," she said. "We've gotten a kick out of that."
March 11, 2009
Ann, Carolyn, Carol, Rosemarie
Italian sisters display their Irish side
By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
March 11, 2010
Italians as grand marshals for the Buck County
St. Patrick's Day Parade?
Yes.
The Mignoni sisters, owners of Mignoni Jewelry
in Bristol, will be the grand marshals
at Saturday's parade, which starts at 10:30 a.m.,
at St. Joseph the Worker Church,
9610 New Falls Road in Falls.
The sisters - Carol Mignoni Ferguson,
Ann Mignoni Mundy and
Rosemarie Mignoni Szczucki -
were selected as marshals
of the 22nd Irish parade for their dedication and
commitment to the Irish culture and arts.
"Yes, we have an Italian name with an Irish store,"
Mundy said laughing.
"We're honored," Ferguson said Wednesday afternoon about being grand marshals. "We've always wanted to support the Irish causes."
Ferguson and Mundy married men of Irish decent, so the Irish culture has been a big part of their lives, they said.
Mundy has been to Ireland 20 times, she said.
"We love Ireland, the people," Mundy said. "It's been a big part of my married life. We used to go to my husband's mother's house on St. Patrick's Day for a big dinner. It's a big family day. We would go to church. It's a special day."
In recent years, on St. Patrick's Day, the sisters drink tea and eat scones at their Mill Street store in Bristol, where there's also Irish singing. Then, at 7 p.m., they head over to St. Mark's Church on Radcliffe Street for Mass.
Throughout the years, they have been strong supporters of the Irish community in Bucks County such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Celtic Heritage Foundation.
Besides two of their spouses, what's the Mignoni family connection to Ireland, other than the similar flag colors of Ireland and Italy and that both countries start with an "I"?
Their father, Carmen, opened the jewelry store in February 1947 with his wife, Carolyn. Carmen was fascinated by Celtic symbols so he started an Irish jewelry line. At the store, the sisters keep a Claddagh ring, one of the original pieces made by their father about 35 years ago. Holding the gold ring, Ferguson said their father liked the ring's symbols of friendship, love and loyalty.
"He loved the Celtic symbols even though he was Italian," Ferguson said.
About 16 years ago, the Mignoni family expanded their Irish line beyond jewelry with the purchase of an Irish store owned by the Roche family, which was across the street from their store. Instead of running two stores, they expanded their jewelry store and made an Irish gift section that they refer to as "A little bit of Ireland."
Throughout the store there are Irish dolls, glass, clothes, tea sets, frames and harps.
"The harp is Ireland's national symbol, not the shamrock," Mundy said. "They use it on their money. The shamrock is also a big symbol, though."
Ferguson and Mundy are retired teachers, but even during their teaching years they would help their parents at the store after school and on weekends. Szczucki still teaches and continues to help at the store.
The Mignoni sisters were three of six children who grew up in an apartment in back of the jewelry store.
Two have moved from Pennsylvania and the rest are local.
They have many happy memories in the store, they said.
"That was our front door," Szczucki said pointing to the store's front door. "Our mother was always home. This was our playground."
The three sisters are excited about Saturday, but are bummed about the rainy weather predictions.
"It's OK, we'll feel like we're in Ireland," Ferguson said. "It will be bit of mist like they say."
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the "Way We Were" ............
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