Building the Store: Save The Date

End set, if not in sight

BY EILEEN MCCLELLAND | Published in the February 2013 issue

PART 6 OF A SERIES that will cover the construction of the new Grogan Jewelers store in Florence, AL, from initial plans to a projected spring 2013 completion.

In Nov. 28, Jay Klos finally watched the cement being poured for the slab foundation of his store. When it was dry, he held a staff meeting on the site, both for practical reasons (to go over every detail of showcase, vault, refrigerator and outlet placement) and for team building (to get the staff excited about the new location.)onstruction of the steel frame began in early December and was complete by month’s end, leaving Jay Klos with threedimensional evidence (and bragging rights) that a new store is indeed in his near future.

It was a welcome Christmas gift that began to attract community attention, and create a buzz he hopes will continue to build.

“It’s awesome looking right now — massive,” Klos says. “It’s overwhelming. It’s two stories but it’s a tall two stories; wherever I go, people are saying the building’s looking great. They’re out there talking about it.”

January’s agenda would start with metal studs.

“Then, electricians and plumbers are ready to rock ’n’ roll,” he says. “It should go pretty quick, up to a point, then it’ll slow down again.”

Such is the pattern of new construction. So far, waiting for the steel to be made and put in place had delayed the project by at least a month.

SETTING A DATE

Klos set a completion date of April 1. In January, with just a shell in place, albeit a massive shell, he did encounter some skepticism.

“When I tell people April they look at me like ‘Are you kidding me?’ I know it’s unrealistic in some respects. But if you don’t put a date on it early on, you might as well tack on an extra six weeks,” Klos says. “All these subcontractors think they have all the time in the world to finish the job, but if you give them a completion date, they have something to work toward. I’ll get a lot more done if I keep pushing that date. Otherwise, you’re wandering in the wilderness, and it gets done when it gets done.”

Still, he’d be more than pleased if the project is complete by the end of April. He’d like to open up in time for Mother’s Day, work out glitches throughout May, and be ready for a grand opening in June.

LATEST PROJECTS

Klos was preparing to meet with display contractors at the Continental Buying Group show in January, with a budget of at least $20,000 to $25,000 for in-case displays. He was also planning to buy inventory at that show, to fill those cases.

The cases themselves were half finished by Jan. 1, and Klos had picked out the laminate finishes.

His moving sale had driven Christmas sales.

“It went well, I wouldn’t say it went great, but we did a lot more business than if we had not done it,” he says.