a look at...
Julie and Steve Weintraub
photography by Win Wolloff
Julie and Steve Weintraub are president and CEO of the familyowned
Gold & Diamond Source store in Clearwater. Their
dynamic partnership has led to their success, and the store
recently expanded to almost 10,000 square feet, including an
upscale bridal department.
Julie, who was born in England, started her career by opening
a chain of successful restaurants and becoming a licensed real
estate professional. She later sold those businesses to start Classic
Elegance Interiors, an interior design and furniture company. Julie
Weintraub’s Hands Across the Bay charity, which she and Steve
began in 2010, has quickly become one of the Tampa Bay area’s
most respected organizations. It helps hardworking families
in need, especially domestic violence victims, single parents,
children with health-related issues, and children in need of
clothes and school supplies.
Steve, who was born in Niagara Falls, New York, founded
Gold & Diamond Source in 1984. Its Clearwater showroom
also includes GDS Rare Coin & Bullion, which specializes in
buying and selling gold, platinum and silver bullion, rare coins
and silver flatware. He and Julie have made their business one
of the fastest growing family-owned jewelry companies in the
United States. They have five children between them and reside
in St. Petersburg.
At what do you excel?
Julie: I do the best I can with our family, business and charity.
It’s not for me to say if I excel. All I know is, I’m trying my best.
Steve: At diamonds and colored gemstones.
What provides you with pleasure?
Julie: My aviary, along with nature, the outdoors, birds and
wildlife.
Steve: Selling fine jewelry to our clientele.
How do you relax?
Julie: I don’t.
Steve: I play golf.
Who is your role model?
Julie: I love to surround myself with people who I believe
are better than me in one area or another. Each of them is a
role model in business, as a parent, or as an advocate.
Steve: My father.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Julie: Don’t look back; you’re not going that way.
Steve: “Speech is silver and silence is golden,” a saying
given to me by my third-grade teacher.
What is your idea of happiness?
Julie: A world without domestic violence and school
bullying.
Steve: Having a peaceful mind.
132 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MAY/JUNE 2018
Why do you do what you do?
Julie: I love my work. I have a passion for the romance of
fine rare jewelry and advocating and being a voice for those
who need to be heard.
Steve: I have a passion for diamonds and colored
gemstones, and I love our customers.
What don’t people know about you?
Julie: I emigrated to the U.S. from England when I was 7.
My mother is English; my father is from India. I am one of
the biggest patriots you’ll meet. If I only knew how lucky I
was to be moving to this great country, I wouldn’t have cried
for months as a child, moving to a huge new country from
everything and everyone I knew.
Steve: I like to sing in the shower.
What are your favorite words of wisdom?
Julie: “The Serenity Prayer.”
Steve: Whatever you think, you become.
What is your motto?
Julie: It’s not how you fall, its how you rise.
Steve: Nothing is easy without hard work.
How do you think other people would describe you?
Julie: I try not to think about that and just try to be the best
person I can be. I try to be worthy and to earn others’ kind
remarks.
Steve: Generous and kind.
How would you describe yourself?
Julie: Resilient, strong, and passionate.
Steve: Ambitious and energetic.
What would you like to be able to do that you can’t do?
Julie: End the epidemic of domestic violence.
Steve: Travel the world.
What talent do you wish you had?
Julie: The ability to work throughout the world to make
sure children are raised and cared for right, so we can end the
epidemic of violence in our homes and schools. I wish I had a
louder voice or the ability to do more.
Steve: I wish I could play the guitar.
What is the secret to your success?
Julie: Resiliency and determination.
Steve: Never give up.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
Julie: A lawyer, a business woman with a brief case and a
fashion designer. I’m living my childhood dreams today.
Steve: I wanted to be a doctor. 9