Harvey Rovinsky, a Huntingdon Valley resident and celebrated former owner and president of Bernie Robbins Jewelers, died on January 28 aged 77, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Rovinsky, who was also a marketing innovator, National Retail Hall of Famer, and philanthropist, transformed a small family business into a successful nine-store chain with national acclaim.
He began his retail journey in 1966, delivering appliances for his high school sweetheart’s father at Bernie Robbins Co. Over the next six decades, he transformed the business into a premier destination for luxury watches, pendants, and rings, expanded to multiple locations, rebranding it Bernie Robbins Jewelers. In 1969, he married his then-girlfriend, Maddy Rosenberg. Following the passing of her father, the couple took full ownership of the company in 1996.
They were inducted in the National Jeweler’s Retailer Hall of Fame in 2022.
“Bernie Robbins provides unparalleled expertise and an exceptional customer shopping experience in a warm, comfortable atmosphere where it’s not uncommon to see Maddy and Harvey’s granddaughters,” said National Jeweler officials at the time. “After all, it is a family business.”
In online tributes, Rovinsky’s friends called him a “true gentleman,” “mentor,” and “inspiration.”
Read more about Huntingdon Valley’s Harvey Rovinsky in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
