Maria Jewelers opens downtown
By Rebekah Martin
Assistant Editor
Maria Jewelers is bringing a little sparkle and shine to downtown Opelika. The jewelry store, owned by husband-and-wife team Cody and Maria Foote, has been in business since 2004 under the name Midas Jewelers, previously located in Tiger Town.
Cody, who has been a local attorney for 35 years, opened his Law and Mediation Center on Eighth Street in December 2012. After seeing the amount of traffic that downtown Opelika attracts, Cody knew the location change would be a suitable one.
Maria’s offers customers a wide range of jewelry, from engagement rings and wedding bands to pendants and watches. Maria’s also specializes in custom-made jewelry from sketches or detailed descriptions of almost any object.
“You can go out there and find a dead bug, bring it to me and say ‘Make me a broach or a pendant out of silver or gold that look’s exactly like this, and we can do that,” said Cody.
“We have our own casting and molding equipment in the back,” Maria explained. The process from sketch to finished project, under normal circumstances, takes less than three weeks.
A particular piece of jewelry – a gold locket – served as a pivotal part of their love story. Cody and Maria first met as pen pals, while Maria was living in the Philippines. Cody visited her and her family there, bringing three gold lockets to Maria, her mother and grandmother as gifts – with a photo of Maria and her siblings as children inside. According to Maria, the personalized gift is all it took for Cody to gain her grandmother’s approval. A few months later the two were engaged and have now been married for 16 years.
Maria hand selects every item that finds a home on her shelves. “For her, life begins and ends with fashion, whether it be clothes, shoes or our jewelry,” Cody said of his wife. “This isn’t work to Maria – this is her everyday joy.”
Cody and Maria said they believe their business has a lot to offer downtown Opelika – most of all, quality jewelry and good customer service.
“We live by our motto every day,” Cody said. “‘Where quality always exceeds the price’ – that’s what you’ll find here.”
Maria Jewelers is open from 9a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and is located at the intersection of Eighth Street and Avenue B.
Photo by Robert Noles
Cody and Maria Foote opened Maria Jewelers in 2004. The business has recently moved from its location in Tiger Town to downtown Opelika.