In the early 1970’s Larry Bruno started in the Jewelry business. He studied the art of jewelry making at the Bowman Technical School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, considered then to be the finest school of jewelry making in the country. Larry studied fine jewelry repair, stone setting and hand engraving, all of which led to apprenticing under Master Jewelers Pete Copploe from Copploe Jewelers in Youngstown, Ohio, and Darrell (Buzz) Gould of New Castle, Pennsylvania.
Larry soon started his own business as a "bench jeweler" doing custom jewelry work for area jewelers. His wife, Linda, would deliver the jewelry work daily to area jewelers of Warren and Girard in Ohio, and Sharon and Greenville in Pennsylvania. Their success soon flourished into the opening of their own store in 1981, L. P. Bruno Jewelers, in Hermitage, Pennsylvania.
In the spring of 2007 Larry and Linda purchased the Springfield Waterfall property in Mercer, Pennsylvania with a plan to build their new "Dream Store" - Bruno Fine Jewelers! The seven acre property includes an ancient glacial gorge and stream. A new store was constructed on the perfect site - overlooking the gorge, the Springfield Waterfall, and the Historic Springfield Furnace. What a view!
The Springfield Furnace was in operation from 1837 until midway through the American Civil War when in 1862 it went 'out of blast'. The furnace produced 'pig iron' which would then be crafted into much needed iron items such as iron stoves and farm implements. Immediately after acquiring the property Larry was approached by Dr. John White, an Archaeologist from Youngstown University, asking permission to start an archaeological dig at the furnace. Larry agreed and the history-revealing "dig" has been ongoing
ever since.