Simmons & Clark in Detroit, a family-owned downtown Detroit business with 101 years of history, will welcome Amanda Simmons on Nov. 12 as the first woman in the family’s four generations to join the business.
Bringing experience in project management, training and process development, Simmons will help strengthen internal operations, improve customer communications and expand community engagement while learning the jewelry trade from her father.
Before joining the family business, Simmons worked in health care technology as a project manager, leading electronic medical record implementations for hospital systems. She then moved into financial data and analytics as a senior instructional designer, developing and implementing a global training program for a major financial data product.
At Simmons & Clark Jewelers, she plans to apply those skills to several projects, including developing employee onboarding programs, improving how the store communicates with customers, expanding community events and outreach and implementing a new computer system to support the business. She will also learn the jewelry trade firsthand, working with customers and gaining experience in jewelry sales, repairs and design. Simmons is currently pursuing a gemologist degree through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
“It’s an honor to be part of something my family has worked so hard to build,” Simmons says. “I have so much respect for what my dad and grandfather have done and for the people who have helped keep this business going. I get to learn from that history while bringing my own perspective to the table. I think there’s an opportunity to honor what has always made Simmons & Clark Jewelers special while finding new ways to reach people.”
Simmons’ connection to the store began long before her professional career. As a child, she spent school breaks at the downtown Detroit location, learning to engrave jewelry and watching her father, Michael Simmons, the store’s third-generation owner, and her grandfather help customers mark life’s milestones. Those early experiences gave her an appreciation for the relationships behind each purchase, from engagement rings and anniversary gifts to pieces passed down through generations.
Simmons sees opportunities to introduce the business to new audiences while preserving whatlongtime customers value. She hopes to build on the store’s established reputation by using digital tools and social media to connect with younger generations, expanding community engagement and bringing fresh perspectives to merchandise.
As Simmons & Clark Jewelers approaches its second century, Simmons’ arrival represents a new chapter for the family business that combines the experience she brings from outside the jewelry industry with the knowledge and relationships built over four generations in downtown Detroit.
