Our Story

Originally designed by Alexander C. Eschweiler, the pagoda-style building was built in 1926 for William Schnabel, as a Wadhams Oil and Grease Station. The building continues to be owned by a member of the Schnabel family.

In 1992, it was transformed into a fine jewelry store by Catherine Laing and Debra LaValley, who decided to move into the Pagoda, making the space their personal workshop and store front.

Catherine Laing designs and fabricates distinctive jewelry, for which she has received numerous state and local awards. Debra LaValley designed unique Art-Deco style pieces using a ‘lost wax’ casting method.

Paula L. Luba, the current resident, is a GIA graduate gemologist. After more than twenty years in the jewelry industry, Paula launched her own business (The P. L. Luba Co.) in 1995 focusing on appraisals, repairs and custom orders. She joined Catherine and Debra at the Pagoda in 1998.

After eighteen years of working out of the building together, Debra unfortunately passed away after a ten year battle with cancer. In 2017, Catherine retired from retail obligations but continues to create custom designs, and still sells her jewelry at Pagoda Fine Jewelry. Paula expanded her business making the studio space into a ‘Sterling Silver Gallery’, and the P. L. Luba Company is now the sole business operating out of the Pagoda.