Sometimes it's the economy or increased competition from big box retailers, or usually the dominance of internet shopping that forces retail businesses to close. But every now and again, maybe it's just a matter of good timing and a desire to do something else with some long coveted free time.

In the case of a longtime Fort Collins community staple, it's the latter.

After 44 years in business and bouncing around many locations as the city's landscape has changed, and new shopping centers have come and gone, owner Susan Harrison - known around town as "Diamond Sue" - has decided to close the Jewelry Emporium. She's owned the business since 1990.

She began as the Store Manager back in 1979 and has been in its current location at 3120 S. College Avenue since 2015. You may have heard of Antwerp, Belgium as a place where jewelers regularly source diamonds, and Sue is no exception. She's been there dozens of times to personally select diamonds for her customers.

For the last few months, her social media has touted huge sales as she planned to close the store. If you didn't hear about it till now, candidly, we all kind of missed out on some pretty great prices on all sorts of jewelry, like Pandora Charms for just $5. Could have stocked up for several holidays for my wife and mother, but I blew it.

At any rate, Harrison has had the opportunity to sell the business, but in the end decided it wouldn't be worth the bother of onboarding new ownership and navigating the transition. Her lease expires in March and she decided she'd rather get right to retirement with her husband, who retired himself a decade ago.

Congratulations on such a long run and enjoy some well deserved time off!

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