Larry Cohen is the owner/CEO and president of Elite Fine Jewelers, and Beth Cohen is the brand’s chief finance officer. The family-owned and -operated fine jewelry store in Tempe has been in operation locally since 2016, but the Cohen family lineage in fine jewelry goes back to the 1950’s. Learn about the Cohens…
Hometown: Larry: I was born on the south side of Chicago and moved to Lincolnwood for high school
Beth: I grew up in Morton Grove, Ill.
First job: Larry: My first and only job has been working in the jewelry business. Kind of funny! I started going to work with my dad when I was 6 years old taking apart watches and putting them back together and never turned back.
Beth: Mine was at Village Set in Skokie, Ill., when I was 14 years old. I would open boxes of clothes for shipments and steam clothes.
Favorite ways to spend your free time in AZ: We moved to Arizona from Chicago so we could be with our kids and that’s how we’ve always spent our free time! Being with our kids, and now grandkids, is our favorite way to spend time. We all work together and never get sick of each other. Sundays are special days for our family to be together.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: Larry: Starting multiple businesses and being able to bring my family into the business and continue to grow the business as a family has been my biggest accomplishment. It fills my heart to see their passions grow.
Beth: Along the same lines, my greatest accomplishment is my family. Each of my three adult children have their own dreams, ambitions and personalities and, as a mother, that’s the greatest thing I can ask for. We have always instilled strong family values.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: When Larry first went out on his own in 1980, it was a struggle at first. Trying to get the logistics in place and getting through the trial and error of starting it all was incredibly taxing. It was just the two of us navigating a world of business which was larger than we could have imagined. Looking back, some of the mistakes were small but seemed like the end of the world because we didn’t know any better
Someone who inspires you and why: Larry: I joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary in my early 20s and got to know a man very well and what inspired me was the way he valued his family. It was like a light bulb went off for me, and I knew after spending time with him that I was going to make sure I put my kids and family before anything else. He probably doesn’t even know he changed my life
Beth: My three adult children inspire me. I love to see the way they parent their own children now.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Work hard. There’s no easy path.
Favorite quote: Larry: “It’s another beautiful day in paradise.”
Beth: Ha! He’s not kidding. He would say that while driving the kids to school during a blizzard in Chicago, always with a smile on his face.
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: Larry: I’m a softy, and I have an extremely big heart for animals and kids.
Beth: Larry and I met when I was working at a shoe store. It was one of those love at first sight moments, and we immediately became inseparable.
What makes someone fabulous: To us, someone who is selfless and gives back to the community is a fabulous person. It takes guts to put your own agendas aside for the greater good.
Larry & Beth are Great People . I have known them for long time . Met them both inChicago through my wife . They are honest & very nice . They both worked very hard to get where they are . I know because I did the same in my restaurants in Chicago .