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It’s not always possible, or even desirable, to build a brand-new destination store or purchase that charming historical structure you’ve always admired, but it is vital to take a good look at the exterior you do have and make sure that it’s looking its best, from window displays to paint job.

We’ve frequently written about how important it is to treat your website home page as if it’s a second storefront. But now is not the time to neglect your brick-and-mortar appearance either.

Curb appeal is important: No one really wants to enter a store if your sign is only partially lit, paint is peeling, or your window displays are dusty or disorganized, according to RetailCustomerExperience.com, a web portal devoted to helping retailers differentiate on experience, rather than on price.

Survey results cited by Retail Customer Experience found that 95 percent of consumers consider a store’s exterior appearance an important factor when deciding upon a place to shop, and more than half will avoid a store if the exterior appears to be poorly maintained. The takeaway? Sweep the sidewalk, clean the windows, update signage and water plants.

Of course, if you are planning something new and exciting and looking for sources of inspiration, here are some examples of stores that have raised the bar on exterior appearance by creating, acquiring or refurbishing eye-catching retail spaces.

Old World Charm

M. Robinson Jewelers in Bee Cave, TX, could easily double as a European chateau if called upon to take on that role in a fairy tale, with its large slate roof, a tower and two chimneys. Owned by Sherazad “Sunny” Lokhandwala, M. Robinson is elegant inside and out and an ideal setting for storytelling as sales strategy. Designer Leslie McGwire transformed the building, which formerly held a dermatology office. Exterior changes included paint color, new windows and a modified roof.

Let the Sun Shine In

With 70,000 vehicles passing their store every day, the Yeko family, owners of The Diamond Center of Janesville, WI, wanted to make sure their building REALLY stood out, so they built a 36-foot-tall signature logo wall to serve as a billboard. They finished the wall using a unique tapered aluminum panel, which is sleek and modern as well as a sustainable choice. The store has more than 2,000 square feet of glass curtain walls, and more than half of that glass is tilted out to span a height of 24 feet, floor to ceiling. Letting in natural light while being energy efficient was a priority for the Yekos, which they successfully conveyed to interior designer Leslie McGwire. The store was completed in 2015.

Building on History

Daniela Balzano’s store, Water Street Jewelers, is situated on a classic New England green in Guilford, CT, on the Long Island Sound. The circa 1860 building she purchased in 2019 is sandwiched between former residential structures that have been converted into retail shops, bakeries and coffee shops. Some have stood since the 18th century because Guilford, settled in 1639, is one of the few coastal towns in the region to escape attack during the Revolutionary War. “The aesthetic of our beautiful Connecticut green lends to a quaint feel, very welcoming for tourists and local shoppers,” says Balzano, who has updated her store with windows that let in more natural light and painted the front door turquoise, an important color in the store’s branding. Balzano maintained the original outdoor lamp and keeps it illuminated through the evenings.

Futuristic Facade

Owners Coleman Clark, Jim Clark and Mitchell Clark created an eye-catching destination store for their latest iteration of BC Clark Jewelers within the only freestanding building at Classen Curve, a modern, upscale shopping center in Oklahoma City. To make the sleek exterior more welcoming, they added huge windows that allowed natural light to flood the space. BC Clark is the oldest Oklahoma business under the same family name and ownership, yet its Classen Curve location demonstrates this family has an eye on the future. The Clarks worked with Todd Edmonds, principal, HSE Architects, on the building’s transformation from a women’s clothing store.

Mall Maverick

For John Atencio’s Park Meadows Mall location in Lone Tree, CO, the jewelry designer commissioned oversize panes of tempered glass that wrap from floor to ceiling across the entire storefront to create a large, all-glass facade, demonstrating that all mall stores are not created equal. The look is sleek and inviting from outside, and the interior space is flooded with natural light from a skylight. At the front glass, six tall light boxes with rotating dividers create 12 modular jewelry showcases, half facing inside and half outside; they can be rotated throughout the day. The exterior backlit John Atencio sign centers and frames the all-glass exterior. Atencio employed modern LED technology to create a sign that’s at least 10 times brighter than any previous sign he’s had. Atencio worked with architect Semple Brown of Denver.

Star Struck

The distinctive circular facade of Craig Husar’s store in Brookfield, WI, embraces within it the largest star-shaped chandelier in the Midwest, which features 2,816 individually cut Swarovski crystals and hovers 35 feet above Husar’s EngageBar. The exterior hints at the interesting interior design within, which Husar describes as yacht-club luxe. The business was founded in 1968 as Lyle Husar Designs and opened under its new name with the 2019 debut of its new location. Husar designed the store with Jeff Stowe of STO Architecture, LLC.

Dreams Take Flight

Project designer Jesse Balaity and architect Patrick M. Pillot transformed an open concept furniture store into Bere Jewelers‘ new Pensacola, FL, location in 2017. It’s across the street from the airport and the city is known for being the home of naval aviation and the Blue Angels, local themes Cole wanted to tie into the store design. It also has a seating area outside, adding to the welcoming informality of the experience.

Taking the Leap to Luxury

Gregg Kelly, vice president of Northeastern Fine Jewelry in Albany, NY, spearheaded a 1,000 square foot addition and major renovation of the store, which included a new glass facade. Especially at night, the window reveals the character of the store within, says designer Michael Roman of the C2 Design Group. And the casual patio setting in front offers a decompression zone between parking lot and shopping experience, easing threshold resistance. Kelly told Roman he wanted a store that looked like it had leaped off the pages of a luxury magazine.

Reflecting Their Roots

An expansion of Reis Nichols in Indianapolis, owned by William P. “BJ” Nichols, involved moving the main entrance from the north to the south side of the building. In doing so the design created a modern identity while adding space. All sides of the exterior were reimagined using up to date forms and materials. Jill Duzan Willey of Jill Duzan LLC was the project’s designer. Inside, the design complements the industrial-style exterior with dark colored woods, white brick and wrought iron and steel around the windows, so it feels a bit more like a manufacturer, which reflects the origins of the company.

Drive-By Drama

Owners Steve and Diane Williams created a 12,000 square foot destination store on a highly visible corner across the street from a strip mall their family business, William Jewelers of Englewood, CO, had occupied for 50 years. Designed by Leslie McGwire & Associates, the functional showplace is designed to evoke a wide open mountain retreat with the ceiling reaching a height of 30 feet in some places. The exterior establishes the lodge ambience with materials including stone, wood and stucco. The store has a 125-square foot digital screen on an exterior tower that displays rotating marketing messages. They also post jewelry jokes and questions for drivers to answer.

Shape Shifters

Lucido Fine Jewelry in Sterling Heights, MI, owned by the Lucido family, is built with contrasting geometric shapes, which creates an upscale look, says interior designer Leslie McGwire. The round window, a unique feature, doubles as an ideal frame for advertising.

Fashionable Facade

Hyde Park Jewelers debuted a 4,400 square foot location in 2020 in the new luxury wing of Scottsdale Fashion Square’s Crystal Court in Scottsdale, AZ. RDH Interests Inc. designed the exterior using 4 by 8 foot panels of large format porcelain tile, minimizing the joints in the facade and creating the look of Botticino marble. Damon Gross is Hyde Park’s CEO. All of the display cases, some of which are visible through the windows, are equipped with a bullet proof film that can stop a 45-caliber without penetrating glass.

Log Cabin Luxe

JC Jewelers, owned by Jan and Jeter Case, have created a 240 square foot showroom inside a rustic cabin in Jackson Hole, WY, built in the 1930s by an artist. Their original interior designer called the look “Manhattan in a cabin.” When they purchased and refurbished it in the early ’90s, they kept all of the original logs and character and added a heated floor. Of course, they refresh the interior regularly with new paint, carpeting and lighting. Jeter meets with custom bridal clients now in the cozy back office over a maple and mahogany desk.

13 Exceptional (and Inspirational) Jewelry Store Exteriors
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13 Exceptional (and Inspirational) Jewelry Store Exteriors

It’s not always possible, or even desirable, to build a brand-new destination store or purchase that charming historical structure you’ve always admired, but it is vital to take a good look at the exterior you do have and make sure that it’s looking its best, from window displays to paint job.

We’ve frequently written about how important it is to treat your website home page as if it’s a second storefront. But now is not the time to neglect your brick-and-mortar appearance either.

Curb appeal is important: No one really wants to enter a store if your sign is only partially lit, paint is peeling, or your window displays are dusty or disorganized, according to RetailCustomerExperience.com, a web portal devoted to helping retailers differentiate on experience, rather than on price.

Survey results cited by Retail Customer Experience found that 95 percent of consumers consider a store’s exterior appearance an important factor when deciding upon a place to shop, and more than half will avoid a store if the exterior appears to be poorly maintained. The takeaway? Sweep the sidewalk, clean the windows, update signage and water plants.

Of course, if you are planning something new and exciting and looking for sources of inspiration, here are some examples of stores that have raised the bar on exterior appearance by creating, acquiring or refurbishing eye-catching retail spaces.