Trabert & Hoeffer to Close Last-Standing Store

Chicago—Trabert & Hoeffer is set to close its last-standing location in Chicago in June as its owner prepares for retirement, the jewelry store announced earlier this month.

Its first store opened on New York’s Park Avenue in the 1930s, later expanding to Palm Beach, Florida; Beverly Hills, California; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Chicago.

Chicago native Don Levinson bought the location in 1968, importing designs from Europe and Asia and adding more Swiss watches to the inventory.

The store is known for its elaborate, seasonal window displays, draping fine jewelry over pumpkins or ice skates.

Originally located on Michigan Avenue, Trabert & Hoeffer moved to East Oak Street in 1995, but has never strayed far from the Magnificent Mile, the Midwest equivalent of New York’s Fifth Avenue.

Ahead of its June closing, the retailer will partner with Hindman LLC, which owns auction houses Leslie Hindman Auctioneers and Cowan’s Auctions, to sell some of its inventory.

“After more than 50 years with Trabert & Hoeffer, it’s time for me to announce my retirement and I can’t think of a better partner than Hindman to move the store’s spectacular inventory,” Levinson said in a statement announcing the store’s closure.

Assisting with the sale is Katie Guilbault, director and senior specialist of fine jewelry and timepieces at Hindman and a former Trabert & Hoeffer employee with a familial connection to the store. Her grandfather owned the Chicago Trabert & Hoeffer and was the one who sold it to Levinson in the late ‘60s.

She got her start at the store, working with Levinson for nearly eight years as a sales associate and appraiser.

“We have a lot of happy memories. A lot of people do,” said Guilbault, who described being a part of the end of the store’s legacy as “bittersweet.”

She recounted the loyal customers who would visit year after year, commemorating birthdays and anniversaries with a special something from the store.

Guilbault also is familiar with the store’s inventory and has a hunch about which pieces will be showstoppers at auction.