Buck Kopietz has been through a lot in the city of Clarkston.
The 30-year business owner has seen businesses come and go, survived recessions and watched the town grow during his years operating Tierra Fine Jewelers.
‘I didn’t really think about staying for 30 years but it sure has been a lot of fun,? Kopietz said. ‘There are not a lot of businesses that are still around 30 years later. There is The Clarkston News and Rudy’s but not much more.?
Kopietz and his wife Joan started their jewelry store at 3 E. Washington. The store was about 10 by 14 feet, while the rest of the building was a book store.
Buck had wanted to run his own business ever since grade school. The couple decided on a jewelry store after an artistic Joan took a class with her friend and actually made the couple’s wedding rings.
‘She makes Martha Stewart look like a clerk,? Buck said. ‘She is just incredible.?
The only decision left to be made was where to live. The couple, who met in California when Buck was with the Coast Guard, came to Michigan where Buck would finish college.
Joan, who was looking for a teaching position, had a job at the Troy school district fall through. While visiting a friend in Clarkston, a decision to start a business in this town was made.
‘It was Labor Day and they were having Clarkston Days with sidewalk sales and a small carnival,? Buck said. ‘It was a great community and a great opportunity.?
In 1983, the couple moved their business to 64 N. Main in an attempt for more room in addition to the fact they wanted to be on Main Street.
Their final move was to 64 South Main. They own the entire building, so the couple attempted to run additional businesses.
‘We were selling everything from school supplies to toys but we really couldn’t make it work. It was too much for me to keep track of and I couldn’t do it as well as I wanted to. About five years ago we decided just to concentrate on jewelry here at this location and rent the other rooms out to businesses,? Buck said.
Back when the couple first began operating their business in Clarkston, Main Street was the place to shop.
‘There were a lot of retail stores when we first started out. There was a lot of walk up business up and down Main Street,? Buck said.
According to Buck, there are a lot of reasons for the decrease in retail stores over the years.
‘The recession in the 1980’s really cleared a lot of people out of here but the biggest problem was the business owners being naive, myself included. We had very few experienced business men in town and it caught up,? Buck said. ‘The city also made some mistakes like allowing residential buildings to be built down on Main Street across from our current location.?
However, Buck says that shopping in downtown Clarkston is making a comeback. Buck praises the Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce which is ‘the best chamber I have ever seen,? according to Kopietz.
‘They have really helped downtown and really made an effort to have events downtown,? Buck said.
Buck also has another interesting comment about shopping in downtown Clarkston.
‘Clarkston has plenty of parking downtown, but it is just not utilized properly. They need to make parking more visible and put up signs so people know where it is at,? Buck said.
Despite the growth and maturation of his adopted hometown, Buck still looks fondly at the tight-knit community he remembers from years ago.
‘The kind of community that you could literally depend on everyone. We all really got along with each other,? Buck said.
Buck shares a story about the time Morgan’s caught on fire and Fire Chief Tink Ronk called Joan and said they had 15 minutes to evacuate. Joan was horrified since both the upstairs and downstairs were stocked full of merchandise.
However the people of Clarkston came to the rescue. Numerous residents cleared the store out in 15 minutes putting the merchandise in their trunks or storage space for safekeeping.
‘They literally cleared out the entire place. I mean, they were throwing stuff out of the upstairs window with people on the ground catching the merchandise,? Buck said. ‘We took inventory after the event and with all the people involved we only lost a few broken glasses. It was incredible but that was the kind of community it was.?
Buck is quick to point out life in Clarkston is still pretty good.
‘The growth has not been all bad. There are a lot of nice people who have come into our community. They are starting to come back downtown which has a lot of benefits for people. They run into people they have not seen in awhile and catch up on how things are going,? Buck said.
Buck and Joan keep busy with their two businesses, they also own a bed and breakfast in town, but still find time to be help the community. They are currently collecting food for Lighthouse at their store and have many exciting events in the planning stages.
The couple has been active in Clarkston since they moved here.
Buck has served on numerous boards including being president of the Chamber. Joan started the Clarkston Area Arts Council and also kept the Concerts in the Park alive for a few years after the Downtown Business Association had disintegrated.
‘If you are in southeast Michigan I can’t think of a better place to live than Clarkston,? Buck said. ‘We love being a part of the community.?