Born February 23, 1823, Soren Kolstad, a skilled artisan and clockmaker, migrated to Texas from his native Norway in 1852. He settled in Palestine, where he opened a jewelry store in 1853. The store has occupied four locations. Mahogany display cases, installed in the third shop in 1916, were transferred to the present site in 1933.
Managed by five generations of the family, Kolstad’s is believed to be the oldest retail store in continuous operation by its founding family in the state of Texas until it closed 1990s. Members of the Kolstad family have also been leaders in religious, civic, and educational activities.
Today the business is owned and operated as a jewelry store in the Kolstad Building by the Dickens family as Charles E. Dickens Fine Jewelry & Gifts.
From Texas State Historical Association
