Tim Gannaway, left, and his twin brother, Jim, are owners of GB Jewelers in Warrenton.

WARRENTON — The journey for Tim and Jim Gannaway into the jewelry business began in St. Paul, Minnesota, when they were 5 years old.

According to Jim Gannaway, the twins got in trouble for ruining their father’s screwdrivers. The pair was attempting to chisel agates out of the pavement behind their home. They would collect brightly branded Lake Superior agates throughout their childhood years, learned to polish them and sold them as pendants in high school.

Though the Gannaways always had an interest in agates and craftsmanship, they both went on to become math and science majors in college. Tim went north to attend Bemidji State College for three years before transferring to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis for his last year. Jim attended the University of Minnesota, Morris.

“It’s different for us, because we might be twins but we went to college on two ends of the state,” Jim Gannaway said.

Though Tim was a math and science major, he was told by his adviser he would not graduate unless he took some humanities classes.

This is where the Gannaway brothers officially became involved in jewelry making.

“I ended up enrolling in the jewelry class since I was interested in how a lot of it was made,” Tim Gannaway said.

Tim said he enjoyed the jewelry class so much he dropped his math and chemistry classes to focus solely on art. Since he didn’t have any tools, he lived in the art department every day from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to create the first of many jewelry items.

After making them, he would send them to his brother, who would sell them at little antique stores.

“I wasn’t initially that interested in the business,” Jim Gannaway said. “I wanted to be a musician, but realized I wasn’t a good multitasker. Eventually, Tim dragged me into it, since jewelry allowed me to fill my creative itch and use my skills.”

Though the Gannaway brothers had a business, they eventually hit problems that a lot of up-and-coming shops do. The oil embargo of the 1970s, a recession and their lone salesman quitting meant Tim would have to find a way to pay back all his suppliers.

Tim Gannaway decided to move west to work as a fisherman. He ended up working for three years on a shrimp boat and paid everybody back. Working as a fisherman gave Tim a different perspective on life, as both he and Jim were moving to a small community from a big city.

GB Jewelers recently celebrated its 50th anniversary — and the brothers have become a staple in Clatsop County. After spending the first 10 years in business in Astoria, they moved to Warrenton, where they’ve been since 1983.

Over the years, the brothers have competed and placed in a number of regional and national contests for their work.

“We are super happy to represent a small, rural community and show that the rural areas can compete against the cities if given the chance,” Jim Gannaway said. “Most of these competitions cater towards the big cities and specific designs, like men’s jewelry. Since we’re in a small community, we can’t do that.”

Though the brothers work six days a week to keep their store on S.E. Marlin Avenue running, they still make time to watch their grandchildren and go out on the water to fish.