Dmitry Kaplan

Multi-generational relationships run through Dmitry Kaplan’s story as owner and director of Gemoro, a luxury jewellery and watch store in West Edmonton Mall. Kaplan’s parents originally ran the store, with help from his grandparents, starting about a decade after they moved to Edmonton from the Soviet Union in 1980. 

When Kaplan’s parents first arrived in Canada, they had to learn a new language and navigate an entirely different country. His mom worked in accounting while his dad worked as a business analyst, but after a few years both lost their jobs in a round of layoffs.  

Gemoro was born out of necessity, and many questioned whether it was a good idea or too risky. Now, after decades of hard work, the Kaplans’ success is obvious; something Kaplan attributes largely to the long-time support of the entire community. 

Many of Gemoro’s clients are dedicated regulars with multiple generations returning to mark their major life moments with special items from the store. For Kaplan, it’s been an honour to help clients — many of whom he now considers friends — celebrate those milestones. Those relationships and family connections are largely what fuel his passion for the business. 

Kaplan is dedicated to listening to his customers, and over the years, that attentiveness shaped Gemoro into a full-service destination with watch technicians on site to repair several major brands, and an in-house gemologist who grades and appraises precious stones. Those same relationships — this time with vendors — eventually led Gemoro to become an official Rolex retailer in 2005, and today, the store has its own dedicated Rolex showroom.

For Kaplan, the job has never felt like work — it’s simply an extension of the relationships, generational and otherwise, that built Gemoro in the first place. 

gemoro.ca