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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A downtown Colorado Springs shop is closing its doors after more than 50 years in business.

Roberto Agnolini, owner of Bryan & Scott Jewelers Ltd., said it's time.

"It's time for me retire, I'm going on 75," he said.

Agnolini came to Colorado in 1957 as a jewelry designer after being hired by Mark Bryan.

"I was hired by Mark Bryan in 1956 in Europe to come over because Jean Scott was leaving to go to work for Tiffany's in New York," Agnolini said.

Agnolini moved to the states, and for 56 years made selling jewelry, art and antiques his life.

"What's important to me is having the right jewelry for the individual person," he said.

He added 99 percent of the items in his store are handmade and, perhaps more importantly, unique.

"There's no mass production," he said.

He has helped thousands of customers find the perfect piece, including some famous clientele.

"Charles Bronson was one of them, Liberace, then Stella Stevens," he said.

Over the past half century Agnolini has watched fashion and downtown Colorado Springs change.

"It was very interesting, it had a wonderful mixture of businesses including very good fashion houses and several jewelers," he said. "The town was very lively, I mean people got dressed to come downtown."

Agnolini has built his business on service and a love for what he does.

"If you have passion, if you have love, it works. If you just do it to sell, it doesn't work very well," he said.

He said saying goodbye will be difficult, but it's the customers he will miss most.

"That the most difficult thing for me to overcome. They are very sad and they kind of feel abandoned, which really makes me feel very guilty," he said.

His employees are also sad to see him go.

"I think he's doing it at the right time, however it's probably bittersweet for the customers," Cheryl Smith, a salesperson, said.

Agnolini has become known for his craftsmanship, but maybe even more so for his giving nature.

"He's very kind, he's very giving. He gives to a lot of charities, he donates a lot," Smith said.

Agnolini is currently having a liquidation sale which will run through Dec. 24.

He said after that he will have an auction in January to try to sell whatever is left of the more than 3,000 pieces in the shop.

But while he may be closing his shop doors he can't completely give up his passion. He said he will always be available to his customers by phone.

"I'm still going to keep Bryan & Scott name, the same phone numbers and I will be available, anytime you can reach me, because I'm going to have those numbers wherever I'm going," he said.

Agnolini said he also plans on still holding trunk sales and handling estate and fine art collections.