Written By Carolyn Oravitz

    According to folklore, the lucky person who catches a leprechaun is entitled to the pot of gold at the rainbow’s end. Locally, you will find a family operation whose pot holds even more precious treasures.
     More than 20 years ago, Stanley and Rose Wateski operated “Rainbow’s End” from part of their Swoyersville home. Over the years, the employee roster grew to include their three children, Stan, Jr., Rosemarie, and Deanna. The larger family base moved to a larger business space. With a small tweak to its name, Rainbow Jewelers opened on Wyoming Avenue in Kingston in September of 1998.
     What makes a family operated establishment a paragon of stellar service? Daughter Deanna spoke about the difference between the care customers receive from chain stores versus an independent business.
     “My father always told me, ‘They do not own it, so they do not care.’ When you own your own business, there is no paycheck for you if customers aren’t coming in.”
     This is the reason each customer at Rainbow Jewelers is treated with the utmost respect. Whether you enter wearing a three-piece suit or jeans and a sweatshirt, your business is important, which any good entrepreneur knows is the truth.
     The family ties at Rainbow Jewelers works in each customer’s favor. The offers of assistance are genuine attempts to see a happy customer, as no one works on commission.
     According to Deanna, helping customers pick the perfect item is one of the perks.
     “Jewelry makes people happy,” she said. “Helping someone pick something that will make them happy is a great feeling.”
     The members of the Wateski family will experience many such great feelings as the holiday season approaches. Holiday time is always a busy one for jewelry shops. The Wateskis embrace the long hours by recruiting close friends to help when the customer traffic grows. Inevitably, late-night and last-minute shoppers will trickle in close to closing time. Since it is not an issue to the employees, it doesn’t need to concern shoppers.
     “If there are people in our store, we would never kick them out,” said Deanna. “We stay until the customers are done.