Going out golden: The Golden Tulip closing in St. John's after 22 years

A staple of Water Street is closing its doors in downtown St. John's.

The Golden Tulip has been in business for 22 years, but owners Julie and Terry George say now is the time to close their brick and mortar location. However, the couple still plans to keep an online presence.

Julie George told CBC News on Monday they had always planned to open a jewelry store with her experience in graphic art and Terry's in goldsmithing. Terry George has been training as a goldsmith since he was 15, she said.

"Terry, being in jewelry for 55 years, he can't stop cold turkey," Julie George said.

"We have met people from everywhere, from all walks of life. We have made friends that we'll keep forever."

Julie George said the couple has decades of memories to cherish, but said there are significant moments in the store's history that stick out.

She and her husband helped craft pins for Princess Anne and the championship rings for the 200th Royal St. John's Regatta in 2018.

And, most importantly, she said, a forget-me-not pin to honour military families — which is pinned on the shroud of the Unknown Soldier who rests at the National War Memorial in downtown St. John's.

"That's something that's going to be there forever, and it really does mean a lot to you," she said.

But despite all of the high-class visitors, Julie George said she valued the relationships made with every person who came into the store.

"Sometimes you have a chat for an hour, or you're making a piece that means something, that means a lot to them, maybe something to remember somebody by. So the stories go on forever," she said.

Julie George said the store is now in the process of selling off its inventory. She estimates the store will remain open until sometime in January.

The continuation online, she added, will remain mainly through the continued sale of the company's Newfoundland collection and custom pieces.

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