Justin Pelant is in the business of changing lives. No, he’s not a teacher, a life coach or a doctor. Pelant owns Ted Allen’s Jewellery on Baker Street and when a couple comes into shop for a symbol of their unflinching commitment, he’s happy to be part of the mix.
“I put a lot of pride in what I do for that very reason,” Pelant says.
“When a woman first gets a ring, they look at it all day long and it brings happiness. To be just one cog in that wheel, to put that smile on a person’s face or be part of someone’s moments… it’s kind of neat and a really wonderful experience.”
Pelant grew up at Six Mile, attended A.I. Collinson and graduated from L.V. Rogers with the Class of ‘88.
“I left like most kids of my generation,” he says. “Went out to see other things and then 10 years after I had gone, this was where I wanted to come back to.”
Pelant spent three years at the University of Alaska Anchorage studying business. One summer he went to work for his buddy’s environmental construction company and a whole new direction took hold. Living in places like Hawaii, California and Oregon, Pelant worked his way up from labourer to project manager.
But all the while, Pelant missed home.
“I was really tired of what I was doing,” he says. “I wasn’t learning anymore in construction and it wasn’t fun. I like to enjoy my life and being in the bigger cities was not where I wanted to be.”
Gemology has been Pelant’s hobby since he was a little kid.
“I developed the interest in fifth grade,” he says. “I was with some school trip or boy scouts at Redfish Creek and I found a piece of amethyst in the water. I had this purple little rock and as a kid I figured it was going to be worth millions of dollars.”
When a friend told him that Ted Allen’s Jewellery was up for sale, he bit and it all came together in January 2007.
“I remember coming here when I was a little kid,” Pelant says. “My grad watch is from here, I have engravings from here… I’m working on the same engraving machine that 25 years ago I was buying things from.”
The last five years have exceeded expectations as Pelant has managed to grow a business that was in danger of dying in Nelson’s busy downtown hub.
“We have an unbelievable staff,” he says. “Any small business owner will say your staff is the most important part of your business… it’s paramount and I am very fortunate.
“If you take care of your customer as best as you possibly can whether it’s a $2 repair or $10,000 ring, when they do need something they don’t think about where else they are going to go… they just go there because they know they are going to be taken care of.”
Pelant sells quality jewelry, but that doesn’t equal unaffordable.
“When I took over that is something that I really focused on,” Pelant says. “There are kids in high school that want to get their girlfriend something nice, but they only have $50. I have really tried to cater to that as well so they find something that is special to them.”
Other than jewelry and watches, Ted Allen’s also has a wide assortment of engravables, grad gifts, Swarovski crystal, Riedel wine glasses and much more.
Pelant and his staff also do custom work, jewelry and watch repair, and even the odd clock repair.
You will find Ted Allen’s Jewellery at 431 Baker Street in a building that has been changing lives through jewelry since 1896.