Published: May 16, 2009 07:13 pm      

Rogichs represent heart of Richlands

RICHLANDS, Va. — During the past several months, the constant barrage of dismal economic news has been downright discouraging. However, the downtown Richlands, Va., business community decided to turn that gloom to gleam and put a smiling face on the community’s resilient business community — the friendly face of Becky Rogich.

Rogich and her husband Mike own and operate — with the help of their daughter Michele, and their other three kids, John, Michael and Julia Ann — Becky’s Jewel Box - Fine Jewelry in the heart of Richlands on Suffolk Avenue. But while the Rogichs have operated their store in the heart of downtown Richlands for more than 50 years, in a special way, they represent the heart of the community through their love of their family, faith, friends, community and nation.

“The Rogichs are the very foundation of our community,” Ginger Branton, executive director of the Richlands Area Chamber of Commerce said. “Becky has been a part of our community since the early years. She always steps up when the community needs her. She puts on that hat and plays the role of Minnie Pearl during fairs and festivals, and she played a helper for Mrs. Claus for many years in the Christmas parades.

“The value of the time and energy she and Mike both give to our community through volunteerism and spirit is just phenomenal,” Branton said. “If the younger professionals — not just in the Richlands area, but everywhere — would grasp that spirit of giving back to the community that the Rogichs give so freely, they would understand what makes a community truly wonderful.

“When a successful business owner does crazy things like putting on a hat and waving to visitors, she is simply telling all of us: ‘Hey! Loosen up! Have some fun.’ In these days when you don’t know what announcement will come along next to change our world, we need more of Becky’s spirit out here,” Branton said. “With that love, kindness and caring they show everyone, Becky and Mike are like precious gems in our community.”

The Rogichs came from totally different worlds, but when they found each other, they fell in love. Becky, who claims to be 39, but asked not to have any age reported (“They wouldn’t believe I’m 39,” she said.) was born in Raven, Va., but her family moved frequently in the southwestern Virginia and southern West Virginia coal fields in search of work during the lean years of the Great Depression.

“There were 10 of us,” she said. “I had five brothers and four sisters. We all started working as soon as we could. At the end of the day, we would come home and put what ever money we made into our mother’s apron,” she said, extending her arms forward as though she was holding the ends of an apron. “If we had a dollar, we were rich!”

She and her sisters went to New York City for schooling and work during World War II. She attended Columbia University for a while and during that time, she attended a dance at a YWCA after the war was over.

“This was a dance for good girls,” Mike Rogich, 89, (“I’ll be 90 on Columbus Day.”) said. “They wouldn’t let the boys take the girls outside for a smooch. It was a balloon dance. You had to reach out with your foot and pop the balloon of the girl you wanted to dance with. I found the prettiest girl at the dance. That was Becky. We’ve been together ever since.”

Mike Rogich served with the 45th Infantry Division during World War II. He served in North Africa, Sicily, Salerno and was in Italy when he received multiple wounds when he was “blown up,” as he put it, in combat. That took him out of the war, but he was on the mend when he met the girl of his dreams. After the service, Mike got into the construction field and his work took him throughout the United States, but Becky came back to her home area, and eventually started serving the community through the Jewel Box.

“Some of the greatest people in the world are right here in this area,” Becky Rogich said. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the coal miners. I should write a book about how good the coal miners and all of our customers have been to us.

“I have always believed in a simple philosophy: Believe in God, care for your family and treat everyone you do business with fairly. When Downtown Richlands Inc., put up that billboard with my picture on it about two months ago, Mike came home after he saw it and said: ‘I didn’t know I would be married to a celebrity.’ It was a really nice thing for them to do.”

The Rogichs are a constant source of interesting stories. It seems almost as though Mike and Becky can tell totally different stories together at the same time, yet be in total sync when they finish their fascinating stories. The stories flow one after another with tales of Becky’s first airplane trip, the beauty pageant she won in the Poconos, and scores of stories about their children. “You ought to see us on the holidays when all the kids are here,” Becky said. “You’d be lucky to get a word in edgewise.”

Their son, John, “the quiet son,” stopped by to visit during the interview that led to this article and Michele came in to do her daily bookkeeping work. “We have such wonderful children — all of them,” Becky Rogich said. “We have been blessed by God in so many ways, and we are thankful for all of His blessings.

“I have always tried to be helpful to people,” she said. “I find that if you’re good to people and try to help them, they’ll come back.” Michele is a gemologist and a “diamond master” and John is a highly-trained goldsmith, gemologist and watch repair person who studied in New York. Both seem happy to help their parents at the Jewel Box, although both have other professions.

“Our family has been in the jewelry business for five generations,” Becky Rogich said. “We’re a very close family,” she said. “I believe that if I keep my faith in the Lord, love my family and thank the Lord for His blessings, we will have everything we need.”

Richlands Mayor Ken Wysor expressed thanks his for Mike Rogich’s service to his nation and extended those thanks to both Becky and Mike for their commitment to the community. “They’ll do anything they can do to help the town,” Wysor said. “They are very out-going, friendly people. I’m proud to know them as friends.”

The billboard featuring Becky’s image steers readers to a web site, (www.downtownrichlands.com) where visitors can learn more about things taking place in the community.

– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com