ZEELAND, Mich. — For over 143 years, Dekker's Jewelry has been an integral part of the Zeeland community, thriving under the leadership of two generations of the VanKampen family. The torch has been passed to Lee VanKampen, making him the third generation owner of the store as he strives to continue his family's legacy.
The store's roots date back to 1882 when the original Dekker family first brought the business from the Netherlands to Zeeland.
"The Dekkers were the original owners, and they ran it all the way up until my grandfather bought it from them in 1973," said Lee VanKampen. "Dekker's originally was a different store, and they also had a grocery store. Then after that, they ended up moving to this building in 1929."
Lee's father, Gary, was at the helm for nearly five decades. He had followed his own father, Gerrit VanKampen, in operating the business.
"My father was wounded in the war, and he lost part of his leg, and so he's a leg and a half. And so he really, he was a tool and die man, wanted to be. And then, he ended up going to a watch repair store," said Gary. "It's a great place to own, just part of the community."
Since his father's retirement, Lee has taken on the responsibility of running operations. He frequented the store when he was growing up in the neighborhood.
"I just remember from my youngest age, playing with the kids in the backyard and then going, 'Let's go visit dad over at the store,'" he recounted. "We'd grab a buck, or he would come through with a joke and a little smile and send us on our way."
Lee's first place of employment was at Dekker's.
"My first job was actually here, the engraving machine behind you. I was trained by the original person that had it. And after school and middle school, I'd come and practice my engraving and do a few jobs here and there," added Lee.
Taking on this role has changed his perspective on the family's legacy.
"Now, being in this role, I realize how hard he had worked to be able to provide for that, how often he had to make some sacrifices to make it to our football games and soccer games and stuff like that along the way.," Lee said. "He luckily was able to find a good combination from providing for us financially, as well as being there as a dad."
Lee had also made a promise to his grandmother that he intends to keep.
"Being able to carry on the tradition, being able to fulfill a promise I made to my dying grandmother at the time, it's special," he added.
Though Lee's grandfather has passed, his influence remains palpable. "Having the people that have worked with him over the years and the community that loved him tell me stories about him … it's just something that you can't get everywhere," Lee said.
As he continues the family business, Lee hopes to make his grandparents proud.
"I think he'd be very happy to see the store going on. I think he would be saying that he's amazed how much like him I probably actually am ... I think my grandma would be just ecstatic. I think she might be a little bit arrogant being like, 'He's doing that because I told him, he's listening to me one more time,' you know, but from a good place," Lee joked. "I think both of them would be very happy to see that there's another generation taking over from something that they essentially started."
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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