Paffrath & Son Jewelers

Paffrath & Son Jewelers is a family-owned jewelry store in Willmar, MN, located at 1605 1st St S C19. It holds a rating of 4.70 based on customer reviews.

Since 1926, the business has served the community. Founder Rudy Paffrath moved his wife Katherine from Wadena, MN, to Willmar, a thriving railroad town at the time. He purchased a store on Litchfield Avenue and became the official watch keeper for the Burlington Railroad. Alongside keeping trains on time, he sold china, stemware, and his specialty, diamond rings and wedding bands.

The business is now in its fourth generation. Lowell Paffrath, Rudy’s son, joined the store despite contracting polio and severe osteomyelitis as a child. Todd Paffrath, Lowell’s son, is the president and owner. He joined the family-run business in 1981 after working as a schoolteacher. Todd is a graduate of Bemidji State University. He has been married for nearly 45 years and enjoys hunting, boating, and working on the farm with his golden retriever, Hudson.

Jeff Paffrath is the in-house goldsmith and jeweler. He joined the store full-time in 2003 after graduating from Moorhead State University. Jeff specializes in creating custom jewelry designs and is widely sought for his skill.

The store offers bridal jewelry, fine jewelry, custom designs, and appraisals. They partner with fine jewelry makers worldwide. Longtime customer Velda Larson has been with the business for 100 years. Her granddaughter, Ava, recently received her first Paffrath piece. The store continues to serve the community with timeless craftsmanship and exceptional service.

The store sits on 1st St S C19, just steps from the main road of 1st Street South. It is located about a tenth of a mile from Nelson Clinic and Rehabilitation Care and roughly two tenths of a mile from Uptown Willmar.

BizScoreAI awards Paffrath & Jewelers a perfect 100 out of 100 for Discoverability, ensuring AI crawlers can find every page of the website so AI assistants can recommend the business. The store also earns a 94 out of 100 for Performance, meaning the website loads quickly to keep visitors engaged and improve search engine ranking.