In April 1857 he joined Savage and Lyman, a large firm of watchmakers and jewellers. On the 1st of March 1879, he opened the first Birks store on St James Street in Montréal. Six years later he moved to larger premises on the same street. In 1893, since his three sons: William Massey, John Henry and Gerald Walter Birks were active in the business, the company name was changed to Henry Birks and Sons. The following year the store was moved to their new building at the corner of St Catherine and Union streets. The Birks building still stands on Phillips Square and houses the organization's head office.

Since its founding in 1879, five successive generations of the Birks family have been involved in the company. In 1934 the Royal Warrant of Appointment was granted to Birks in recognition of supplying British Royalty. The Birks Group was created in November 2005 through the merger of Henry Birks and Sons Ltd. and american company Mayors Jewelers Inc. They are still manufacturing and selling fine jewellery today.