Our Story
All in the Family
Ronald Leitzel and Tonia Leitzel Ulsh, the current owners of Mountz, are a brother-sister team. Together, they carry on an incredible family legacy of entrepreneurship going back five generations in Central Pennsylvania.
The retail business is in their family’s blood, beginning with Ron and Tonia’s Great-Great-Grandmother, who first opened her own store in Klingerstown, PA. Later, Ron and Tonia’s Grandparents owned a General store in Malta, PA.
In 1949, Ron and Tonia’s Uncle continued the family tradition of working in the retail business by opening Leitzel’s Jewelry and Gifts in Millersburg, PA. His brother, Marvin, was Ron and Tonia’s Dad. He was hired to work at Leitzel’s in 1952.
Ron spent his early teen years working with his Dad. During his time at Leitzel’s, he got his first taste of the jewelry business and fell in love with helping people commemorate their magic moments. In 1967, Marvin bought two Leitzel’s Jewelry locations and Ron committed himself to working full-time alongside his father.
Expanding the Business
In 1979, longtime friends Vaughn and Jackie Mountz sold their Carlisle store to Marvin. Ron stepped up to run and manage Mountz Jewelers. Marvin was so impressed by Ron’s work, that in the mid-1980’s he offered Ron the opportunity to purchase Mountz. Under Ron’s skillful leadership, Mountz expanded into four locations from 1987 through 1996.
Like her brother, Tonia worked with their father Marvin at Leitzel’s Jewelry growing up. Her passion for jewelry led her to attend the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), where she became a Graduate Gemologist Appraiser. After graduating, Tonia returned home to her family, where she worked part-time for her Dad at Leitzel’s Jewelers and full-time for her brother at Mountz Jewelers. In 1989, she became a full-time sales associate and appraiser at Mountz.
Tonia brought new ideas and innovative programs to the company which became instrumental to Mountz’s growth. Climbing her way through the ranks, she became co-owner of Mountz in 2000.
Experience & Vision
Ron graduated from Bowman Technical School with a Certified Watchmaker’s Degree and is a registered jeweler through the American Gem Society (AGS). In addition to her studies at the GIA, Tonia earned the highly regarded title of Certified Gemologist Appraiser (CGA) through the American Gem Society.
Since the beginning of their young careers, Ron and Tonia always had a vision for Mountz. In an era when most independent jewelry stores were constrained to mall settings, Ron and Tonia wanted to move Mountz to free-standing locations which would become more than your typical jewelry store experience. Their groundbreaking vision became a reality in 1998 when Camp Hill became the first free-standing Mountz store. Two years later Colonial Park followed, relocating to a building which once housed the Colonial Park Fire Department. Finally, in 2007 the Carlisle store moved to a converted bank branch located on Walnut Bottom Road.
Fine Jewelry Destination
Today, Mountz Jewelers is a Central PA institution and each of its three locations are known as fine jewelry destinations. They are also a proud member of Jewelers of America and the American Gem Society.
The secret to our success? As a family, we’ve always been committed to listening to our customers and employees. Through this tradition, our company culture truly shines and continues to drive our daily efforts.
Carlisle
Camp Hill
