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Century-Old Family Business in Ohio Finds Growth in Bridal

They opened a second store a year ago.

Published

3 years ago

July 14, 2020

INSTORE Staff Instore August 2020 Issue Online Extra

Daniel Welling and dad

Online Extra: More from Daniel Welling

RING TRENDS. I haven’t seen much change. Everyone is still asking for a super thin band. A year or two ago people wanted different halos with random stone sizes, but it’s gone back to more traditional halos. There has been an uptick in yellow gold for men’s bands. They say they want a ring just like my Dad had.

LAB-GROWN STRETCHES BUDGET. Budgets haven’t gone down for engagement rings. We have introduced lab-grown diamonds and have done really well with it. We have customers who prefer the mined stones but we give them both options. For the most part if someone is coming in with a budget that’s $5,000 and for a mined diamond you’re looking at under a carat. For the same budget you can get a carat or a little larger for the same budget. They want to get at least a carat so that makes the decision a little easier.

ONLINE GROWTH. We have ramped up our website and ability to sell things on there this year and have a digital marketing team targeting people looking for jewelry. It’s our 100th year in business this year; people see that and think, they’ve been around a long time. Maybe we should go check them out.

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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.”