Gipprich Jewelers is celebrating 80 years in business.

The shop, which brands itself as Berks County’s oldest family-owned jeweler, was founded in 1945 by Walter J. Gipprich on Franklin Street in Reading.

He built the business by treating customers like family — a philosophy that has seen Gipprich Jewelers through three generations of family ownership, the jewelry store said in a release.

“Walter and his wife, Patricia, raised 12 children in Shillington, a community that became the cornerstone of their family’s story,” the store said in the release. “Today, siblings Richard and Amy Gipprich proudly carry that legacy forward.”

Amy Gipprich said the store has always been about more than jewelry.

“It’s about connection,” she said in the release. “With our customers, with our community, a

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