Alta, Iowa (KTIV) – In the heart of downtown Alta stands a business that was built to last.
For 97 years, Peterson Jewelry has been a fixture right here on Main Street, making it not only the oldest business in town, but one that has been passed down through four generations of the Peterson family.
“My grandfather, he moved here from Sioux City in 1932, depression time,” Todd Peterson, 3rd generation owner explained. “It was not a good time to go into business. We had some old ledgers here that we had seen where they would take in two or three dollars in the whole day. That was their sales for the day.”
Walk into Peterson Jewelry today, and you’ll still see the same display cases that have been there since the very beginning, a physical reminder of just how much history the store holds
“A lot of things have changed since then,” Peterson remarked.
Todd Peterson began working in the shop alongside his father in the 1980s. Now, he works alongside his own son… continuing a family legacy while learning to navigate the changing demands of their small-town customers.
“It used to be a lot more clock and watch repair, but we kind of had to put that on the backburner,” explained Neal Peterson, Todd’s son and 4th generation employee. “Coins and jewelry have really taken over in the past few years.”
“We buy and sell old coins, silver and gold, that type of thing. The price of metal has gone up a lot lately so there is a lot of interest in that,” Peterson explained.
And even after nearly a century in business, there are still surprises.
“It always kind of amazes you at the things that get brought in,” Peterson remarked. “That people have even in a small town like this that people have accumulated over the years. So, it definitely keeps things interesting.”
While their services have evolved, the values that built Peterson Jewelry have helped them withstand the test of time.
“That’s our goal,” Peterson thought. “To treat everybody fair. Keep them happy so they come back again.”
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2025 KTIV. All rights reserved.
In the heart of downtown Alta stands a business that was built to last – KTIV
