Finalist-ACS 2002 - The deBoulle Salon

Published

21 years ago

August 1, 2002

INSTORE Staff Instore August 2002 Issue

The deBoulle Salon, Dallas TX

OWNERS: Karen and Dennis boulle; FOUNDED: 1983; AREA: 1,800 square feet; ADDRESS: 6821 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75205; PHONE: 800-454-4367; URL:deboulle.com

KAREN AND DENNIS BOULLE have created a store richly endowed with grandeur. And in such a setting it would be hard work not to! The store is housed in a faux French villa, complete with curved staircase, Roman-style pillars, and plenty of filigree metalwork. Despite the grandiose aspect of the salon, customers find the store, with its fireplace, comfortable couches and dark wooden furniture, a surprisingly homey place to shop for jewelry.

The panel were in agreement on one thing — DeBoulle is classy. Karen Karch teases, “Scarlet O’Hara would be right at home on the spiral staircase,” Bob Olmstead describes DeBoulle as “an elegant upscale experience,” and Gwen Carrington praises “a beautiful classic design that maintains the brand image in a consistent, flowing manner.” Anne Sowden, meanwhile, felt DeBoulle might have too much going for it: “I would probably spend more time looking at the building than the jewelry!”

PHOTO GALLERY (3 IMAGES)

Copycat Tips … The deBoulle Salon

Combines grandeur with comfort

Watch Out For:

Don’t rely on the setting to sell the product

click to Comment(Comment)

Up Next

Finalist-ACS 2002 – The Collector Fine Jewelry

Don't Miss

Finalist-ACS 2002 – T. Foster & Co.

INSTORE Staff

Over the years, INSTORE has won 80 international journalism awards for its publication and website. Contact INSTORE's editors at editor@instoremag.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.”