About Us

Our store is locally owned and operated in the heart of historic downtown Lawrence, Kansas. As the seventh oldest independently owned jewelry store in the country, we take pride in our over 140 years of operation.

Soloman Marks came to Lawrence from Albany, New York in 1869 at the age of 13 where he joined his brother in the jewelry business at 633 Massachusetts Street. In 1880, Soloman founded Marks Jewelers, a few doors down at 817 Massachusetts- where we are still located today. His son, Julius Marks, assumed ownership in 1934 after Soloman passed at age 78. In 1961, Mr. Delbert Eisele, the watchmaker who worked for both Sol and Julius, bought the business after Julius retired. In 1982, Mr. Eisele entrusted the business to Lawrence natives Brad Parsons and Rich Yeakel. Parsons and Yeakel sold the store in 2024 to their long-time employee, Matt Meisinger and former owner of Alexanders in Hutchison, KS, Ty Pulliam. As of 2024, Marks Jewelers is the seventh oldest independently owned jewelry store in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. To this day we continue to strive for the very best in customer service, quality, and integrity passed down for generations.

Soloman Marks

Delbert Eisele

Rich Yeakel

Brad Parsons