Hayman Jewelry Company

Hayman Jewelry Company has occupied the same corner of downtown Tampa, on East Madison Street, since 1933, and describes itself as the city's oldest jewelry store — family-owned and operated for three generations. According to the company's own history, founder Solomon Hayman started the business selling jewelry out of the trunk of his car during the Great Depression before opening the Madison Street store, and the family has run it ever since, from Solomon through his son Dan Hayman to newer family members working there today. With two master jewelers on site, the shop's own materials describe handling both intricate custom design work and watch repair for customers who stop by — a range that spans everything from a quick battery change to a full restoration of an heirloom piece. Having master jewelers in-house rather than sending work out matters for a repair job: it means alterations, sizing, stone-setting, and watch servicing can all be handled under one roof by people trained specifically in those crafts, rather than farmed out to a third party. For downtown Tampa, that combination of a near-century of continuous family ownership and genuine on-site repair capability is fairly unusual. Whether someone is looking for a custom design consultation, a special gift, or simply a quick repair, Hayman's history suggests a shop built around long-term relationships with its customers rather than one-off transactions.