Title
Fincher and Ozment Jewelers, 1908
Subject
Jewelry stores
Fincher, William Henry, 1878-1910
Eugene Truman Ozment, 1881-1916
Description
On the left is William H. Fincher; behind the case is Eugene Truman Ozment. Both men are founders of Fincher and Ozment Jewelers. The two men on the right are unidentified.
Fincher and Ozment Jewelers opened in 1904 on 6th Street in downtown Tuscaloosa.
Dr. Thomas Jefferson Ozment (1838-1916), a horse and buggy medical doctor, gave his son Eugene Truman Ozment $1000 to start his own business. Truman was an accomplished engraver for two other businesses. Truman Ozment and his brother-in-law, William H. Fincher, established the store with Fincher doing the bookkeeping and Truman Ozment doing the merchandizing, repair and engraving.
The store was a success and it relocated to 515 Greensboro Avenue in the early 1930s. When the Great Depression occurred, money was scarce and payment was sometimes made on accounts with cans of syrup or produce. William H. Fincher died during this period.
The business grew steadily through the 1960s and 1970s, but when the McFarland Mall opened south of the city in 1969, many downtown businesses went there. The number of jewelers in Tuscaloosa doubled almost overnight. In 1980, the University Mall opened, bringing increased competition. Through it all, Fincher and Ozment opted to stay downtown, surviving a six-week downtown renovation that lasted nine months. The oldest partner decided to retire in 1988 and Tommy Ozment was left to carry on.
In 2002 the business moved to the Tuscaloosa Galleria.
Fincher and Ozment Jewelers opened in 1904 on 6th Street in downtown Tuscaloosa.
Dr. Thomas Jefferson Ozment (1838-1916), a horse and buggy medical doctor, gave his son Eugene Truman Ozment $1000 to start his own business. Truman was an accomplished engraver for two other businesses. Truman Ozment and his brother-in-law, William H. Fincher, established the store with Fincher doing the bookkeeping and Truman Ozment doing the merchandizing, repair and engraving.
The store was a success and it relocated to 515 Greensboro Avenue in the early 1930s. When the Great Depression occurred, money was scarce and payment was sometimes made on accounts with cans of syrup or produce. William H. Fincher died during this period.
The business grew steadily through the 1960s and 1970s, but when the McFarland Mall opened south of the city in 1969, many downtown businesses went there. The number of jewelers in Tuscaloosa doubled almost overnight. In 1980, the University Mall opened, bringing increased competition. Through it all, Fincher and Ozment opted to stay downtown, surviving a six-week downtown renovation that lasted nine months. The oldest partner decided to retire in 1988 and Tommy Ozment was left to carry on.
In 2002 the business moved to the Tuscaloosa Galleria.
Source
Tom Ozment
Contributor
Betty Slowe (Description)
Type
Photograph
Identifier
2550
Coverage
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Original Format
Photograph