The Prickly Pear co-owners Debra Picard (center) and Shana Hammett (right) will be joined by jeweler CJ Harrison (left) when the new jewelry and quality consignment women’s apparel shop opens Nov. 1 in the former Harrison Jewelers store at 4 N. Main, Om

OMAK – Two long-time employees of Harrison Jewelers, which closed in January, will open a new jewelry and clothing store, named The Prickly Pear, in the Harrison building at 4 North Main in Omak on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Store hours will be 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays. A grand opening is planned for the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 25.

The Prickly Pear will offer fashion jewelry, high-end women’s consignment clothing, fair trade purses and accessories and jewelry repair, say co-owners Debra Picard and Shana Hammett. They hope to attract former Harrison customers with Holly Yashi jewelry, a perennial best seller, plus expand the clientele with a broad selection of women’s attire and accessories. Select inventory items will be featured on the The Prickly Pear Facebook page. The phone number is (509) 422-9832.

“I am glad they see the opportunity here, and I’m excited about the enthusiasm they are going to bring to the downtown community,” said Dean Harrison, who retired this year, closing the business that his parents opened in 1954. Harrison noted that The Prickly Pear will be an all new store, including a remodeled interior.

Harrison has high praise for his cousin, CJ Harrison, who will provide jewelry repair and cleaning services as well as change watch batteries and adjust watchbands. CJ Harrison worked at Harrison Jewelers after getting his training at the American Jewelers Institute in Portland.

“CJ is a very good jeweler,” said Dean Harrison, noting that combined, the three – Picard, Hammett and CJ Harrison – represent more than a quarter of a century of service at Harrison Jewelers. Picard also had 15 years experience with JC Penney, and Hammett is former executive director of the Omak Chamber of Commerce. She also was the founder and first owner of My Girlfriend’s Closet, a consignment-clothing store in Main Street Market. That store had changed hands and closed in September.

The Prickly Pear’s “gently worn” clothing will be in excellent condition, featuring quality and designer labels, said Hammett.

Fair trade accessories will include purses from Cambodia, made from environmentally sustainable materials by workers who are guaranteed living wages and benefits. Prices range from $20 to $50. The Prickly Pear also will offer silk scarves from collectives in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, where the workers are involved in the entire process, from raising the silk worms to weaving the scarves.

Holly Yashi jewelry comes from Aracada, Calif., and is handmade from Niobium, a light-weight precious metal. With prices ranging from $18.50 into the hundreds of dollars, it is affordable and hypoallergenic, said Picard. Other jewelry selections will include sterling silver, pearls and hand-crafted items by local artisans.