Headlines

Blue Nile to Open First Store on the West Coast

Published

8 years ago

April 1, 2016

INSTORE Staff

Online retailer is eyeing the Pacific Northwest for its next Webroom.

Earlier this month, Blue Nile opened its first physical store – which the company calls a Webroom – outside of New York and entered the Washington, D.C. area. Now the online jewelry retailer is expanding its brick-and-mortar presence to the West Coast, saying it plans to open a Webroom in Portland, OR this summer, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. That would bring the company’s total store count to four. In February, Blue Nile said it was planning to open four new Webrooms this year, which means that we can expect at least one more store announcement before the year is over.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”