Put ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 minutes. With a flexible spatula, remove strata to
Michael Kingoff stands behind a century-old engagement-ring showcase, rubbing his hand back and forth along its smoothed wooden edge. He’s telling a story of how his grandfather — waiting for
Michael Kingoff stands behind a century-old engagement-ring showcase, rubbing his hand back and forth along its smoothed wooden edge. He’s telling a story of how his grandfather — waiting for
Michael Kingoff stands behind a century-old engagement-ring showcase, rubbing his hand back and forth along its smoothed wooden edge. He’s telling a story of how his grandfather — waiting for customers to enter his downtown Wilmington store during the Depression — wore the finish off over years of doing the same thing. Michael is sharply dressed in a manner passed down through the generations, much like the heirloom jewelry he sells in his family’s business.
“My dad always made me wear a coat and tie to work because he believed if you looked professional, you’d be professional,” Michael says with a chuckle. “I’m probably the only guy in a 10-mile radius that has a tie on right now.”
Third-generation jeweler Michael Kingoff surrounds himself with mementos of those who ran the family store before him, including an original ring showcase, photographs, and military medals from his grandfather, Benjamin. photograph by MALLORY CASH
A framed collection of sepia-toned photographs behind the showcase tells the story of Kingoff’s Jewelers’ patriarch, Benjamin Kingoff. A Russian-Jewish immigrant, he was just 14 when his mother sent him to the United States by boat to escape religious persecution. Benjamin grew up in New York City with his brothers and later fought in World War I.
Benjamin Kingoff Photography courtesy of Kingoff’s Jewelers
It was in Manhattan that Benjamin first understood the limitations placed on Jews when it came to getting an education and choosing a profession. At that time, many colleges and medical schools were enforcing religious-based quotas and restrictions. As a result, retail became a popular occupation within the Jewish community. The jewelry industry was particularly lucrative, as many European immigrants tended to bring their gold and diamonds to the New World to sell and trade like cash.
With the idea of opening his own jewelry store already brewing, Benjamin accepted a fortuitous invitation to a family friend’s wedding in Wrightsville Beach. In nearby Wilmington, he knew immediately that he’d found his future home. After saving up money and moving down South, he opened Kingoff’s Jewelers on Front Street in 1919, marking the beginning of a three-generation jewelry legacy.
• • •
Michael remembers sitting on Benjamin’s lap as a child while the two shared lunch. He looked at the hands with which his grandfather once boxed to earn extra money in the alleys and clubs of New York City. He listened to the melodic voice with which his grandfather once sang in the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera.
While the stock has shifted from the silver tableware once sold by Benjamin (second from left) to more traditional jewelry today, Michael says Kingoff’s provides the same focus on customer care. Photography courtesy of Kingoff’s Jewelers
Today’s customers buy legacy-quality diamonds and gems, just as they would have from Michael’s parents. photograph by MALLORY CASH
“He was a soft-spoken man, but he wasn’t afraid to stand up for what was right,” Michael says. “We were the first store in Wilmington to extend credit to the Black community, and we were also the first store to have a Black salesclerk. My grandfather knew he lost business with those decisions, but he didn’t care.”
A friend from Michael’s elementary school days, Haywood Newkirk, remembers coming into Kingoff’s in the 1970s as a young boy and seeing Michael cleaning ashtrays and emptying trash cans. Newkirk’s grandparents Alice and Haywood Newkirk II were some of Kingoff’s earliest customers.
“My grandmother would say, ‘All right, I’m going down to see Mr. Kingoff,’ and my grandfather would just shake his head and tell her not to spend all of his money,” Newkirk recalls with a laugh. His two college-age daughters are now the fourth generation of Newkirks to wear jewelry passed down from Kingoff’s.
• • •
Benjamin ran the store for almost five decades, working right up until the end and leaving his business in the hands of William, Michael’s father. “He hadn’t been feeling well and left the store early that day — which he never did — telling the staff, ‘I’ve really enjoyed working with everybody here, but I don’t think I’ll be back.’ He went home and passed away a day or two later.”
When Benjamin handed down his business, he also passed along what Michael considers his most valued heirloom: a familial commitment to always being honest and fair. Woven throughout the store’s platinum tennis bracelets, sterling silver, diamonds, and other precious gemstones shines the family’s 24-karat golden rule: Reputation is everything. On his first day of work, Michael remembers his father handing him a ring box and asking what he saw inside. “When I told him it was empty, he said, ‘Look again, because it’s got your name in it, and that means everything.’”
Inside Kingoff’s Jewelers’ showroom, Michael is ready to help clientele find their next heirloom piece. photograph by MALLORY CASH
William and Janice Kingoff Photography courtesy of Kingoff’s Jewelers
Before William died 18 years ago, he warned Michael that his mother would be a tougher boss than he. Indeed, Janice Kingoff was, by all accounts, a force to be reckoned with. For 16 years, she ran the show, and was known for her excellent bookkeeping skills, keen eye for fashion, and no-nonsense demeanor.
The duo proved to be business savvy on multiple levels. After 90 years at the Front Street location, the mother-and-son team recognized that downtown retail was struggling. Young couples looking for wedding rings couldn’t find easy parking spots, and older customers were attracted to the convenience of suburban shopping centers.
In 2009, Kingoff’s moved first to Hanover Center, then to its current location about 200 yards east on Floral Parkway. For Michael, the key to surviving in the industry has always been about adapting. For example, when engaged couples stopped registering for formal china and sterling flatware sets, and luxury watches were supplanted by smartwatches, Kingoff’s simply discontinued selling those items.
• • •
Janice died in 2021 and Michael now runs the business with the help of his wife, Vanessa. Pieces of his family’s past remain displayed throughout the store, keeping Michael company: his grandfather’s 90-year-old typewriter, a century-old antique watchmaker’s case, and the vintage engraving machine his father often put him to work on. A 1936 newspaper circular celebrating Kingoff’s 17th anniversary advertises great deals on twin waffle irons, baby rings, and dish sets, and always makes customers smile. Each piece of memorabilia is in itself an heirloom, serving as a reminder of where Michael came from and how Kingoff’s Jewelers has changed with the times while remaining a pillar within Wilmington.
The late-1930s typewriter, purchased by Michael’s grandparents, still sits in the shop. photograph by MALLORY CASH
Like a royal guard outside Buckingham Palace, the business’s most legendary piece of history has stood watch in front of the store for more than 80 years. Designated as scrap metal after World War I, the E. Howard & Co. clock that Benjamin purchased from a shipyard and placed on Front Street remained there for decades before a delivery truck destroyed it in 2007. Knowing how much the clock had meant to his grandfather and father, Michael quickly commissioned a replica, and through all subsequent business moves, the new timepiece has never left the store’s side. To Michael, it’s part of the family.
A replica of the store’s original E. Howard & Co. clock stands outside Kingoff’s Jewelers on Floral Parkway. photograph by MALLORY CASH
The clock alone won’t be enough to carry Kingoff’s Jewelers through to the next generation. At age 62, Michael is the last in line to continue what his grandfather started a century ago. Although his hope is that a cousin will one day take over the business, realistically Michael says he’s prepared to be the one to close up shop.
But the family legacy will endure as long as cherished heirlooms from the shop continue to pass from mother to daughter, from husband to wife, from generation to generation. With the sustaining strength and durability of those precious metals and fine gems, the Kingoff name will shine well into the future.
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