Walter, Hogsett and the “&”
If you’ve ever had the burning desire hear the real story of your local jeweler, Walters and Hogsett, you’ve come to the right place! Gather ‘round for a campfire story…
It all started back in Longmont Colorado in 1980 when Walter (aka. Wally) and BJ Vieregg, and Ron and Gail Hogsett teamed up with a shared dream of bringing luxury jewelry to the Colorado community. Like most dreams, it didn’t come easy. This team had to put in extensive hours of diligent work in order to give us the store we know and love today.
Ron Hogsett got his start mowing the lawn of a man named John Snyder, who owned Snyder’s, a jewelry store in downtown Longmont. John provided Ron with a sweet career jump out of the mowing business and into the world of jewelry and quickly began teaching him all the tricks of the trade.
Meanwhile, Wally was travelling the country as a jewelry sales rep learning about the industry himself. One day, Wally, with his cool charisma and suave style – not to mention, a mustache to kill for – walked through the doors of Snyder’s and happened to meet Ron. The two hit it off.
Wally was ready to start settling down and finding one true home, and Ron was ready for a bigger job commitment. So with a true entrepreneurial spirit, the two of them pooled together their knowledge and resources and started their own jewelry store – Walters & Hogsett.
Four days after the store opened, Ron’s wife at the time, Gail, gave birth to her first son, their second child. Despite being a busy time, Gail turned out to be an integral player in the success of Walters & Hogsett. For those of you who don’t know Gail, she has one of he most amiable and genuine personalities paired with a high IQ and a background in computer science…not a bad package! Match her up with Wally’s wife BJ, who was also abundantly helpful with her strong mathematical understanding and mad bookkeeping skills, and you’ve got the perfect addition to make the Walters & Hogsett dream team.
All that to say, the store had humble beginnings. Despite selling jewelry with kids running around in the back of the room, word of the store spread fast. Wally had already had many contacts in the jewelry industry, and Ron knew customers from Snyder’s who trusted him and his jewelry that helped the store get off of the ground.
After a couple years of experience in 1983, the team opened another storefront in the Village Shopping Center in Boulder. However, being in a new city presented new challenges. Wally, BJ, and Gail found it hard to start over without a strong network in Boulder. Five years later, an exciting opportunity presented itself and the store was able to move to an upscale shopping center where it is located today in the Water Street Complex.
In 1991, Wally’s dear friend, Don Janson (the face most of you know today);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES joined the partnership with his 18 years of diverse jewelry experience. Don’s vast knowledge proved exponentially helpful to the store and he was quickly dubbed the “&” in the name Walters & Hogsett. Finally, the name was complete.
Wally, BJ, Gail, and Don were able to expand the store in 2001 and six years after that; the next generation of Vieregg joined the team as well. Mark (Wally and BJ’s nephew) now manages the store, keeping it all in the family name.
With over 35 years of building client relationships, the store has continued to thrive and serve people the highest quality jewelry, services and experienced personal attention. Today, Walters & Hogsett is a top ranked jeweler with one focus: to surprise and delight their customers by capturing the essence of luxury with the warmth of a family. Stop in soon and see for yourself. You are a stranger here only once.
