Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, made sure to highlight a small business that sparkles in the community for his Small Business of the Month award for March: Jewelry Fixx.
Wilk thanked the crowd in the parking lot who helped themselves to Armenian food— an homage to owner Eddie Ouzounian and his family’s roots.
“We want to thank everybody for coming out here today for our Small Business of the Month. In the 21st Senate district we actually represent 1,060,000 people,” Wilk said to the crowd. “When you get ‘Small Business of the Month,’ it is a big deal.”
Wilk discussed his reasoning for starting this installment.
“I sat in the front row in the state Assembly chambers, and every day I saw the same thing. We were passing policies that helped big labor, big business and always bigger government,” Wilk said. “And there’s no voice for ‘the little guy,’ because the little guy is home, running his or her business and investing their equity, their sweat.”
Presented with certificates from Wilk, in addition to the offices of Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Ouzounian and his family proudly gathered for photos.
Wilk, who described himself as an ABC, or “Armenian by choice,” since his wife is Armenian, introduced Ouzounian, who then thanked the customers who have turned into family throughout the years.
“Thank you all for making it out here, and we only got here because of our friends, family and our customers who have become friends,” Ouzounian said to the crowd.
According to a news release from Wilk, “Ouzounian’s passion for jewelry making started when he was 9 years old in his father’s shop, where he began crafting rings and other pieces for his mother, inspired by his father’s 45 years of work in the business.”
Ouzounian, who had another shop in the San Fernando Valley before going back to school, opened Jewelry Fixx nine years ago, and even moved into the new location on Valencia Boulevard and Cinema Drive nearly a year ago.
“I love designing, and [seeing] people’s reaction to bringing items back to life. Sometimes people will lose something and it’s sentimental, so they’ll bring us a picture and we’ll remake it, and that just means a lot,” Ouzounian said.
The most rewarding part for Ouzounian is not just interacting with recurring customers, but growing with them as the business progresses.
“We grow as a community, and we try to give back. We have customers who will bring their kids after school and we’ll show them how jewelry is made, how it’s designed, how repairs are done,” Ouzounian said. “My mom, sister, wife, brother, father, we’re all here. We all contribute. It’s good to know that the dying trade is not really dying. We’re bringing it back.”
