Merchant Milestone by Renee Leininger


Freeman & Foote Jewelers
Since 1925

In 1922, founder Morris Freeman, A European watchmaker, came to the United States and settled in New York City. Shortly thereafter, Morris relocated to Utica where he opened a watch shop on Liberty Street and later moved the business to a facility on Bleecker Street.

Eli Freeman, Morris's son, began working for his father at the age of 15. Through hard work and dedication, Eli taught himself the jewelry trade. While maintaining his father's watch repair business, Eli transformed the watch shop into a jewelry store that could offer consumers fine diamonds, jewelry, gold and precious stones. To accommodate the rapid growth of the business, Eli then relocated the store to its current location at 165 Genesee Street in Downtown Utica.

Heidi Freeman-Foote, Eli's daughter, followed family tradition and began to work for her father. However, upon high school graduation, she entered college where she earned a BA degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Higher Education. It wasn't long, though, that she returned to her father's business. Wanting to enhance the high integrity level of the business that her father had earned, Heidi worked full time in the business and continued learning about diamonds and the jewelry field. She acquired a gemological degree and earned a diamond-grading certificate from the Gemological Institute of America.

Freeman & Foote Jewelers is proud of their 79 years of offering customers a large selection of beautifully-styled diamonds and fine gold jewelry at very reasonable prices and with superior customer service.

Courtesy of Freeman-Foote Jewelers
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