Norman “Brad” Bradford has been a part of King’s Jewelry in Alexandria, VA, for decades. A part of Alexandria’s bustling downtown, King’s opened its doors in 1955 and Bradford, who was employed by the shoe store next door, was hired away in 1962 by King’s former owner. Falling in love with the business, he bought King’s Jewelry in 1978. Today he works there alongside his wife, daughter and two sons. It’s a family business in the truest sense of the word.
With an Allison-Kaufman backlit sign behind
him, Norman “Brad” Bradford is ready to sell.
So, it seems quite natural that King’s carries jewelry manufactured by California-based Allison-Kaufman Company — another close-knit family business where Bart and Robert Kaufman work alongside their two sons, Scott and Ryan. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and known for high-quality jewelry ranging from bridal semi-mounts to fashion colored gemstone jewelry all set in 14K gold, Allison-Kaufman has been a staple at King’s for years.
“Quality is the first thing we look for in a line,” says Bradford, “and Allison-Kaufman has always delivered.” Bradford uses all of the generous marketing materials Allison-Kaufman offers, including ads, images, point-of-purchase materials and in-store signage. And he’s bullish about one Allison-Kaufman offering that’s most important to him: A very generous stock balancing program.
According to Scott Kaufman, Allison-Kaufman has always been known as the company that’s looking for partners — not just customers. Like Brad Bradford, they tend to be Main Street jewelers. “We have a laser focus on independent retailers.” says Scott. “People know the Allison-Kaufman brand. They trust us because we deliver consistent, high-quality product, and top-notch service. It’s a reputation that’s been with us since my grandfather started the company 100 years ago.”
1. An Allison-Kaufman bridal semi-mount in 14K white with 0.85 TCW diamonds. MSRP: $4,410 (not including center diamond). Matching band with 7 diamonds (1.0 TCW). MSRP: $4,776 | 2. Blue topaz (4.66 TCW) pendant in 14K white gold with diamond accents (0.09 TCW). MSRP: $1,644 | 3. Classically Allison-Kaufman: Triple white and yellow diamond band (1.64 TCW) from the Yellow Fire Collection set in 14K white and yellow gold. MSRP: $7,815
Jewelers with a little history of their own might remember the blue and white Allison-Kaufman airplane that was used for over 25 years in advertisements. The idea: Allison-Kaufman delivers. It was a symbol of the fact that the company’s sales staff have live merchandise they can deliver as needed. Today, Ryan Kaufman explains Allison-Kaufman continues to focus on its ability to deliver, but it’s more than just high quality merchandise – it’s “delivering the marketing and services needed to ensure success for our retail partners in today’s highly competitive retail environment.”
Stock balancing is generous, Ryan says, because quite frankly, “we don’t want jewelers to keep merchandise that isn’t selling.” And service at Allison-Kaufman today also means extremely comprehensive marketing materials including designing and hosting customer websites, an in-house photography studio that produces images as well as 360-degree videos of products, large format printing for in-store signage, customized catalogs and much more. Allison-Kaufman, a manufacturer member of IJO and RJO, knows what jewelers need these days to sell jewelry.
All in the family: Brad Bradford is at center flanked by (from left to right): son Gregory Bradford, wife Cathy Bradford, daughter Tari Stribling and son Andrew Bradford.
Brad Bradford, an RJO member, couldn’t agree more. “We take advantage of all of the marketing materials we’re offered,” he says. “And it helps us to sell. What more can a jeweler ask for?”
Scott Kaufman describes Allison-Kaufman best when he says, “The formula for our success and longevity is quite simple. As our father Bart taught my brother and me, our company only succeeds when our customers succeed.”