Editor’s Note: Eileen McClelland On Relating To The Cool Crowd

Published

9 years ago

July 16, 2014

Eileen McClelland

EDITOR’S NOTE

Their inspiration comes not so much from where they are now but how they got there.

BY EILEEN McCLELLAND
Published in the August 2014 issue

Ta-da! I’m excited to introduce the 2014 lineup of America’s Coolest Stores this month.

Yes, sometimes, I know, it may be hard to relate to “the cools.” Maybe you’re not ready to build a $2.5 million, architecturally distinctive store as Jay Klos did last year in Florence, AL. Or even spend a more modest amount on personalizing a rented space like David Iler did in 2005 in Portland, OR.

But remember that it took years for them to be ready, too. They paid their dues before achieving their dreams.

Jay grew up in the jewelry business but went the wholesale route before unexpectedly finding his dream job as owner of a downtown jewelry store. When commerce shifted to the edge of town, he took a chance and leaped. Grogan Jewelers was featured in a series that appeared in INSTORE in 2012 and 2013. Jay shared with our readers the steps he took to build his destination store — from groundbreaking to his grand-opening party in June 2013, to which I was chauffeured in the store’s vintage Rolls Royce!

David had a successful career as a welder before finding jewelry to be a new calling — one suggested by his fishing buddies. He kept his day job while he apprenticed, unpaid, with a jeweler for two years, and opened his own store after paying his dues as a goldsmith in another. I felt privileged this summer to visit Alchemy, where David and his partner, Laura Mapes, demonstrated the kind of hospitality that endear them to their customers, who visit Alchemy for its personal touch as well as its artistic flair.

Eileen McClelland
eileen@smartworkmedia.com

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.”