Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
August 26, 2025
Zachary's Jewelers Marks 20 Years with Fire & Ice Celebration and Community Grants
TLDR
- Zachary's Jewelers leverages community support and resilience to build strong customer loyalty and business longevity, offering competitive advantage through authentic local engagement.
- Zachary's Jewelers celebrated 20 years with a Fire & Ice event, launching a Small Business Grant program and donating to the Eastport Volunteer Fire Company.
- Zachary's Jewelers fosters community strength by supporting local businesses and honoring those who help rebuild after adversity, making Annapolis more resilient.
- Zachary's Jewelers reopened in just seven days after a devastating fire with community help, now celebrating 20 years at their flagship location.
Impact - Why it Matters
This story demonstrates the powerful impact of community resilience and purpose-driven business practices. When businesses prioritize human connections over pure profit, they create lasting value that extends beyond their products or services. Zachary's journey from devastating fire to thriving enterprise shows how adversity can forge stronger community bonds and inspire innovative support systems like their small business grant program. For consumers, this reinforces the importance of supporting local businesses that invest in their communities, as these enterprises often become pillars of local economic and social infrastructure. The recognition of women's leadership development through the grant to ABF Coaching also highlights how businesses can actively address systemic inequities while fostering economic growth.
Summary
Zachary’s Jewelers, a family-owned fine jeweler in Downtown Annapolis, celebrated 20 years at its flagship location at 100 Main Street with a spectacular "Fire & Ice" event on August 23. The celebration marked the company's "Year of Gratitude," honoring the community that supported them through a devastating 2005 fire that destroyed their original store. The event featured live music, tastings from Seasons Olive Oil, special activations from Marco Bicego including a trunk show and themed lounge, and served as the platform for presenting the inaugural Zachary’s Small Business Grant alongside a donation to The Friends of the Eastport Volunteer Fire Company.
Owner Steve Samaras emphasized how the 2005 fire, which occurred just days after he lost his father, fundamentally shaped the company's philosophy of "bringing humanity to retail." The community's remarkable support—including competitors offering temporary space, a local bank providing vault storage, and their landlord closing his souvenir shop to house them—enabled Zachary's to reopen at their current location within just seven days. This resilience story continues to define their operations, with many of the same team members who stood by them during the crisis still part of the Zachary's family today, carrying forward their mission of community investment and human-centered retail.
The Small Business Grant program, offering a $5,000 award, represents Zachary's commitment to uplifting local entrepreneurs who share their values of community service and empathetic business practices. This year's recipient, Amanda Fisher of ABF Coaching, was recognized for her work helping women in mission-driven roles achieve leadership positions. Fisher's acceptance highlighted how the grant will support her efforts to address gender representation gaps in the social impact sector while allowing her to balance business growth with family commitments and community giving.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by citybiz. Read the original source here, Zachary's Jewelers Marks 20 Years with Fire & Ice Celebration and Community Grants
