The Krombholz family, which formerly owned a traditional retail store, now focuses on vintage jewelry and needlepoint.
This story is part of INSTORE’s lead story, “Radical Reinvention“, featured in the December 2025 edition.
Krombholz Vintage Jewelry, Cincinnati, OH
WHEN LEE KROMBHOLZ BEGAN contemplating pulling back a bit from his jewelry retail business (working perhaps 40 hours a week instead of 80), he consulted his family. His daughter Izzie Krombholz, Lee’s designated successor in the jewelry business, has long had a passion for vintage jewelry. Lee, with experience and expertise in vintage and antique jewelry himself, agreed that was the direction to go, even though it involved a good bit of downsizing and giving up custom design, another of his passions.
“It’s equally as challenging to shrink a business as it is to grow a business,” Lee says. “But I love the idea of working less.”
He stopped custom design and stopped purchasing new inventory. Staff was limited to family. “The only custom I do now is repurposing antiques that are too worn to wear,” he says.
While the jewelry enterprise has contracted, the Krombholz family business has expanded in a different direction. Lee’s wife Heather and their older daughter, Kirtley, launched a needlepoint business inside the jewelry store during the 2020 pandemic shutdowns. It has since grown significantly. In addition to selling supplies, they offer classes for beginners and the finishing involved to transform a semi-finished piece into a one-of-a-kind pillow, purse or wall hanging.
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Needlepoint is not an inexpensive hobby, Lee notes, and has been a good crossover business to complement the jewelry. “Her needlepoint store is truly a craft community,” Lee says of Heather. “That is her forte. Wherever she goes, she builds communities.” Kirtley, too, has found a niche in needlepoint that speaks to her, not having caught the jewelry bug as her sister did.
In October, both businesses were preparing to move from their 3,000-square-foot stand-alone building, which Lee had sold, into a leased converted firehouse, built in 1924. While walk-ins will be able to access the needlepoint side during regular hours, the jewelry store will be open by appointment only and online (about three-quarters of sales are made online now).
“By being appointment-only in an upstairs location, we will be able to control the business,” Lee says.
