GREENFIELD — A few years ago, as the reality of the pandemic set in, Ann Skowron closed the doors to her jewelry shop on Bank Row after more than a decade in business.

“People kept asking, ‘Can you fix this?’ So I thought I’d just rent the back room and continue to do some repairs a couple days a month,” recalled Skowron, owner of Imagine Jewelers. “I really considered myself retired; I was doing it like a hobby.”

Now, three years later, Skowron is officially closing her shop — this time, with plans to return to her home state of New York. The repair shop on Bank Row closed for good on Tuesday.

Skowron, who is originally from the Finger Lakes region, moved to Greenfield and opened Imagine Jewelers after getting married. Her wife was from the area, she explained previously.

“There’s really a lot of nice people here,” she said. “I have a lot great memories.”

Skowron recalled one man who purchased an engagement ring, turned around and proposed to his girlfriend in the store. Another customer asked her to create a piece of jewelry in remembrance of a deceased family member.

“Things like that really stick with me,” she said. “It’s a really nice part of the job.”

After 39 years in the trade — one she stumbled into during the 1980s recession when she was in need of a job — restoring a memory for someone has always been a special aspect of the work she does.

Once back in New York, she’ll continue to work a few days a week at her other shop, AKS Jewelry in Wolcott, New York, which she’s owned since 1986. Like her store in Greenfield, Skowron tried closing it once before, only to find her skills were still needed in the community.

“I’ll still be there a couple days a week,” she said.

Although Imagine Jewelers’ doors closed on Tuesday, Skowron isn’t leaving Greenfield immediately.

“I will still be in the area for a few months,” she wrote in a farewell post on Facebook. “If there’s something I can help you with, I will.”

Email inquiries can be sent to imagine.jewelers@gmail.com.

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.

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