9 Things We Learned from Cool Stores This Year

The following ideas are just a small sampling of what makes 2024’s America’s Coolest Stores forward-thinking, energetic and creative.

Take note: We’re now accepting applications for the 2025 America’s Coolest Stores Contest. You may find the application process a helpful exercise to assess your progress and sort out goals and priorities for the New Year. Click here

Nine inspirational ideas:

TAP NEXT GENERATION ENERGY. Shortly before celebrating the store’s 100th anniversary in 2022, Jeffrey Adams Russell joined his mom, Kimberly Adams Russell, at Frank Adams Jewelers in Albany, NY, and became chief operating officer by age 25. “He draws in a different age demographic of customers and has hired some of his own team,” Kimberly says. “I think he has done a great job of quickly earning the staff’s respect and the customers’ with his honest and straightforward approach. I also appreciate that he brings a new way of looking at things; sometimes I have tunnel vision, but he challenges me to look at situations in a new way.” Jeffrey’s participation was also a key factor in the decision to move the business to a stand-alone, destination location. “I don’t know if I would have wanted to do that by myself,” Kimberly says.

LET YOUR PERSONALITY SHINE. When it came time for Jenny O. Calleri to find a new location for Huntington Jewelers in Las Vegas, she knew she would make it her own in every way. “My heart, soul and passion are in every single detail of this store, to create an experience unlike any other!” she says. “I put my life savings into this, put it all on the line, and went all in!” Just a few of those details include: A privacy screen of 200-pound curved metal beads, custom round showcases that create a curved traffic flow, a lucite chandelier, a feather chandelier and pops of purple against a white and gray backdrop. The store is uniquely hers.

CREATE AN INVITING EXPERIENCE. Lee Michaels’ 10th location, this one in San Antonio, is the first to be designed with a bar. Since it can’t be seen immediately from the entry, it has a bit of an exclusive, clubby vibe. Co-owner Ryan Berg has played up that aspect of the bar by creating theme nights for it, including partnering with local whisky company Maverick to host Maverick Mondays, a whisky-tasting event that invites their customers to explore new flavors and mingle with fellow aficionados.

EXPLORE NEW THEMES FOR EVENTS. Stella Flame hosts a season themed film nights on the mezzanine of her gallery in Bridgehampton, NY. One theme was linked to the arts; another was focused on film noir. She serves cocktails and offers a 10% gallery-wide savigns on those evenings. Searchlights and an orange carpet outside amuse guests while attracting attention from passersby. Flame also plans events at least monthly that allow clients to mix, mingle and enjoy entertainment, conversation and discovery of new artists, talent and friends. After Flame won the Visionary Award from the Cultured Pearl Association of America for a bejeweled interpretation of the story of Daphne and Apollo, she planned a June pearl party. “It’s all geared to be an immersive, comprehensive and shared experience,” she says.

TIE POP CULTURE TO MARKETING

Ilah Cibis, owner of iLAH Cibis Jewelry in Worcester, MA, designed a promotion around Taylor Swift hoopla and her attendance at the Super Bowl. Cibis gave away a pin and a keychain inscribed with the Taylor Swift lyrics, “It’s me, hi. I’m the problem, it’s me,” To win, people had to explain how THEY were the problem. Their responses were posted anonymously. “We got some wild entries!” Cibis says.

BUILD SUBSCRIBERS JAB Jewelers of Bethel Park, PA, carries out its Twelve Days of Christmas promotion via text. Customers text a keyword to enter and receive a daily text message with a photo and description of a featured piece of the day linked to the JAB website. They are then entered into a drawing to receive a piece of jewelry, such as a diamond station bracelet. The effort drives more traffic to their e-commerce website and creates a new group of subscribers open to receiving text marketing, says owner Joe Bonasso.

FOCUS ON THE LOVE Every client who purchases an engagement ring at McCoy Goldsmith and Jeweler in Dubuque, IA, is invited to participate in the I Promise Campaign, an initiative created by store manager Samantha Swift. Subjects are asked to write a heartfelt promise on paper and share it and a photo with the store. Both are framed and hung in the hallway leading into the bridal salon. The promises are posted on social media, the store website, and featured on digital billboards around town. “The campaign has become more than just a marketing strategy; it’s a reflection of our core values and a symbol of true love,” owner says Jonathan McCoy

ENCOURAGE DESIGN INPUT At Copper Canary Fine Jewelry Boutique in Meridian, ID, owner Allie DeSeelhorst introduced a locket bar, which allows customers to choose a shape of locket, color of gold, size and gemstones to place inside. The gemstones are natural rock crystal quartz and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Many clients fill the lockeets with the birthstones of loved ones or gemstones from inherited jewelry. “The original concept came from people walking in with inherited jewelry, and this is a way to keep those sentimental gemstones in a cost-effective way,” says DeSeelhorst. “I call it my candy bar.”

TAP THE TEAM’S CREATIVITY Each year, Dianna Rae Jewelry’s design team participates in Designathon, an immersive week dedicated to custom design excellence. After purchasing gems at the Tucson Gem Show, designers go off-site for a creative experience of teamwork, sketchbooks, laptops, 3D printers and loose gems. Without the day-to-day tasks and interruptions of a retail store, the creativity flows. The event is shared on social media so clients can see what goes into creating Dianna Rae Originals, says owner Dianna Rae High of Lafayette, LA.