By Alaina Denean Deshazo
The Selma Times-Journal

After opening in 1845, Butler Truax Jewelers will soon be closing its doors for the last time.

Doris Butler Truax, owner of the store, spent her life growing up in the store working with her dad, Roger Butler. After getting a degree in gemology, Truax came back to run the family business.

Truax said there is no other business she would rather have grown up in and made her career in than the jewelry business, and it is heartbreaking for her to close the doors on her lifelong career.

“It’s very sad. People have been so kind. They have come in here to tell me how heartbroken they are and how sad they are, but I am much more sad than any of them,” Truax said.

Truax said the decision to close the store came after she bought out her partner.

“Since I owned the majority of the stock in the business, I took it away from the previous management. When I did that, I found a lot of surprises, some of which were unsolvable,” Truax said. “And this was the only way to solve it, was to sell all the inventory and … to close.”

The business was originally opened in 1845 as G.L. & J.R. Poor, and changed hands several times until it was purchased by Roger Butler in 1964 and became Roger Butler Jewelers.

In 2002, Truax and her ex-husband took over the business, until Truax completely took over two years ago.

Butler said he is sad to see the store go, but he fully supports his daughter’s decision.

“I am just sorry that Doris did not get to enjoy the jewelry industry during its heyday as Dolly and I did,” Butler said. “She took over during a perfect storm. People are not buying as much jewelry as they used to. … Her predecessor left her with problems.”

Although Butler had retired from the business, he began helping out at the store again about two years ago.

“When Doris took over the store approximately two years ago, she asked me to come down part time out of retirement, so to speak, and act as an advisor,” Butler said. “There were a number of changes that were badly needed.”

Truax and Butler said during their time, they have served many people throughout the community, and they are thankful for each of them.

“Selma, Dallas County and the surrounding counties in Central Alabama have all supported us over the years and have just been great,” Truax said.

Butler and Truax said their employees over the years have been wonderful, and they hope to help them in anyway they can.

“Doris and I are greatly concerned for her employees and when this is over, we will do all in our power to help them find jobs,” Butler said.

Doris Talbert, has been shopping at Butler Truax for more than 50 years, and hated hearing the news that they were closing.

“I was really surprised, shocked actually,” Talbert said. “It served Selma well for a long, long time and we’ll miss it.”

Truax said there is no set date for the store to close, just until they run out of inventory, but that they will be open through Christmas and into the first part of 2017.