Editor's Note

We Should All Be Inspired by The Octogenarians of Jewelry Retail

The subjects of our “8 Over 80” story have led fascinating and impressive lives.

Published

1 year ago

November 20, 2022

Trace Shelton Instore December 2022 Issue

I’VE BEEN WRITING about jewelers for 24 years now, which feels like a long time. But that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the subjects of this issue’s lead story, “8 Over 80.”

The eight store owners we cover in this article, plus the two appearing online at instoremag.com, Jim Rosenheim of Tiny Jewel Box and Lyle Husar of Craig Husar Fine Jewelry, are incredibly impressive, not just in terms of the time they’ve put in, but the sacrifices they made to get where they are today.

Bill Underwood, who grew up during the Great Depression, started his business with a $1,000 loan from his parents. Sissy Jones sold diamonds inside a termite-ridden log cabin. At the age of 42, David Adams had to buy out his three siblings when his father died. The others all took twists and turns in their professional and personal lives, eventually finding success in the form of thriving businesses that have been turned over, at least to some degree, to their sons and daughters.

My biggest regret with this story is that we didn’t have more space to tell the full and fascinating tales of these dignitaries. But never fear! We’ve included the full-length stories, plus Q&As with several of our subjects, at instoremag.com.

As you work your way through this most challenging of months, we hope you’ll find inspiration from the ingenuity and resilience of these octogenarians, as well as a sense that tomorrow will be even better than today. Happy holidays!

Now Introducing The INSTORE Show, Coming to the Chicago Area in 2023!

Trace Shelton

Editor-in-Chief, INSTORE
trace@smartworkmedia.com

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

Review unfulfilled wish lists to check the age of the items. If a year or older, call up the client and offer them a discount to take it off your hands.. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 26)
Give “just lookers” time to look but position yourself in a place to approach when they’ve found something of interest. (Peter Hannes, p. 53)
Set minimum and maximum levels for your top-selling pieces and set an alert for when they hit the minimum. (Megan Crabtree, p. 54)
When dealing with an angry customer, ask them what they want rather than offering your own solution. (Ask INSTORE, p. 55)
Round up your prices to drop more money to your bottom line. (David Brown, p. 56)

She Wanted to Spend More Time with Her Kids. She Called Wilkerson.

Your children are precious. More precious than gold? Absolutely! Just ask Lesley Ann Davis, owner of Lesley Ann Jewels, an independent jewelry store that — until the end of 2023 — had quite a following in Houston, Texas. To spend more time with her four sons, all in high school, she decided to close her store. Luckily, she was familiar with Wilkerson and called them as soon as she knew she wanted to move on to bigger, better and more family-focused things. Was she happy with her decision? Yes, she was. Says Davis, “Any owner looking to make that life change, looking to retire, looking to close, looking for a pause in their career, I would recommend Wilkerson. Hands down!”