Walt’s Jewelers owner comes home to make second dream come true 

By Tom Blodgett
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Twitter: @sp_blodgett

Javier Odom already has had two jobs he describes as his dream job. 

First, after getting his degree in information system security and having own small business taking care of computer networks, he joined the Army in 2009 and worked with a unit that designed and developed Cyber Command. It was a “dream job.” 

"It was a very amazing time to be there,” he said. “I got to learn. I was around some of the smartest people on this planet, especially in mathematics and computer security.” 

But in 2014, he decided to leave behind the dream so that his family would not have to move so much. 

“I called my parents up, and my dad said, ‘Well, guess what? I'm retiring,’” Odom recalled. “And so I said, ‘Hey, let's talk.’” 

The talk, including a cross-country trip from Maryland to Arizona with his father after leaving active duty, led to Javier taking over the family business, Walt’s Jewelers, which Javier’s grandfather founded in 1956.  

“This is a dream come true,” Odom said. “And I know I said that that was one type of a dream job over on the East coast. This is a different kind of a dream that I could never have imagined. And being the third-generation owner of a successful jewelry store business is great.” 

Odom might not have imagined it, but he was well prepared for it. He said he grew up in the back of Walt’s Jewelers, then located in Chandler.  

But his father, Sam, never wanted to burden Javier with an expectation of taking over the family business and encouraged him to make his own way. That led to Javier exploring his passion for technology and security. 

Still, when he did get back in, it came naturally. And Sam is still around to be Javier’s most trusted adviser. 

“It was an easy transition,” he said. “It's like riding a bike in a way because I had grown up in this business.” 

When he was a child, he said he did the easy tasks at the store, from sweeping floors to engraving to polishing. When he got a little older, he learned to sell jewelry before he went out on his own. 

Now he is the keeper of his family’s business, which has its roots in the mining towns of Arizona. Javier said Walt Odom, as a young boy, was in a car accident that broke his ribs and punctured a lung. When he grew up, working in the mines of Ajo proved difficult for a man with one good lung. 

Walt’s pastor at church doubled as a watchmaker and saw Walt struggling with the dust and grind that came with mining, so he taught Walt how to repair watches. Soon, in addition to repairing watches for the miners, they came to Walt for help with jewelry. 

“One thing about my grandfather is he would sell you your own shoes, and you would be happy about it,” Javier said with a laugh. “He could sell anything. He was a very personable person.” 

Walt Odom eventually opened a store in Mammoth and later a second location in Kearny, both mining towns.  

“My father was going to school to be a pastor in Texas, if I remember correctly,” Javier said. “And my grandfather said, ‘Hey, why don't you stay home for a year or so and help me out at the store.’ And my, my dad had to think about it and such, but he said, ‘Sure, I'll stay and help you out.’ He ended up staying for around 44-plus years.” 

The Mammoth store eventually closed, and after Sam took over the business in 1984, he moved it from Kearny to Chandler and about 15 years ago to Gilbert. 

As to the future, Javier is giving his three children the same opportunity to pursue their own passions, just as his father did for him. The oldest two, like Sam once did, are studying to be pastors. 

The business has been consistently growing, Javier said, something he attributes to God’s grace for overcoming obstacles that were bigger than them.  

“We've grown with Gilbert and the surrounding towns and cities,” he said. “This town is at a place where the people who live here can afford to say, ‘Hey, this is what I want to treat myself and maybe give something to my kids, or gifts that are custom gifts.’ And I feel that we're here at a great time in the history of the town economically.” 

That can be seen in the consistent growth Odom said the store has enjoyed growth year over year, including in 2022. Though the store has just one location, Odom said the people who come in — he prefers the term “clients” to “customers” because of the implication of a relationship — and their word of mouth are the reason they can be successful in competition against larger jewelry brands. 

In fact, those relationships are what Odom says gives him the most joy. 

“My father was going to school to be a pastor, but he didn't do that,” Odom said. “So he actually turned our store into his ministry. And I agree that this is now my ministry. I don't need to be in people's face about stuff, but we have established relationships with our clients. We know their whole family. We love them, and they love us.” 

Tom Blodgett
Senior News Editor | Gilbert
@sp_blodgett

tblodgett@iniusa.org

Meet Tom
Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.

Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.

Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism. 

Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.  

Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).