Hopman Jewelers, 202 S. Front St., closed Feb. 23, short of its first anniversary in April.

Elkhart, Ind., jeweler Patrick Hopman visited the Summer in the City festival with his grandchildren in the summer of 2011 “and it seemed like a fun place to be part of.”

His opinion that Dowagiac is “a very nice community” hasn’t changed, he said Tuesday. “Everybody tried their best to be helpful, but it didn’t take off and fly the way we expected. We had some logistics issues on our end.”

Hopman also visited downtown as part of Elkhart downtown restoration efforts and came away impressed by what Dowagiac did in the early 1990s to move the state trunkline, replacing truck traffic and parallel parking with angle parking and a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape.

The building previously housed Markethouse Interiors, but many remember it as I. Oppenheim, Maurice Oppenheim’s men’s clothing store.

The closure doesn’t affect his store at 100 N. Main St. in Elkhart, which specializes in bridal business, along with new and estate jewelry, buying and selling gold, silver and coins and offering some gift items and antiques.

Hopman Jewelers started in 1961, growing out of a clock repair shop started by his father, Joseph.

Patrick started helping in the store and “grew up in it. It was always there, part of what we did.”

He bought out his father in 1980.

“I should be thinking about retirement — not expansion,” Hopman said. “I’m getting lazy in my old age.”