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Mucklow’s Fine Jewelry, Peachtree City, GA

URL:mucklowsfinejewelry.com ; OWNERS: Robert and Priscilla Mucklow; FOUNDED: 1996; OPENED FEATURED LOCATION: 2003; LAST RENOVATED:2010; ARCHITECT AND DESIGNERS: Foley Design Associate Architects; Chris Kacena, lead architect; Dave Stone, interior design; Rock Eagle Store Fixtures; Grice Showcase & Display Manufacturing; BUILDOUT COST:$790,000 ;EMPLOYEES: 4 full-time; AREA: 5,000 square feet; TOP BRANDS: JB Star, Henri Daussi, Gregg Ruth, Dabakarov, Nina Nguyen


JEWELER ROBERT MUCKLOW, owner of Mucklow’s Fine Jewelry, is uniquely qualified to understand the value of relationships.

At the heart of his life story is the 50-year bond he’s enjoyed with his wife, Priscilla, whom he met when he was 16 and married when he was 20.

“We deal with love in our business, so we all know that there’s not an awful lot of people who meet the love of their life as a kid,” Mucklow says.

Cultivating relationships extends to his dealings with clients and employees alike.

And when he decided to take a step back from his beloved retail business in 2010, he forged a relationship with manager Rod Worley that helped him achieve his latest dreams to spend more time with his family.

The two met when Worley worked as a regional manager for Bailey Banks and Biddle, which closed in 2010. At that time, Mucklow asked him to come aboard as manager. Says Worley: “I told him I was going to start my Four Grainer consulting business, and he said, ‘Why don’t you use Mucklow’s Fine Jewelry as your base store?’ So I became an embedded consultant.”

They also agreed that Worley would use the store as a testing ground for innovations in marketing, merchandising and management. “It’s totally different how we run this store versus how every other independent runs,” says Worley, who wrote the book, A Reason To Chant, based on his experiences at Mucklow’s.

How These Cool Georgia Jewelers Reinvented Marketing

PROMOTION: Mucklow’s takes every opportunity to be visible in the community..

Mucklow had been spending heavily on print, radio and TV advertising, but he wasn’t able to gauge the response. “So we said let’s change things up,” Worley recalls. “Let’s not go after ‘likes’ on social media, let’s get people to come through the door, actual bodies.”

They developed a community outreach program based on charitable giving, through which all marketing funds are channeled. “Every day across the country, jewelers are approached to give to local charity, to take an ad in a yearbook, to sponsor this or sponsor that. It’s not effective. It’s not sending the right message or portraying the store correctly in the community.”

Worley wanted to approach charity differently. “We say we will give you as much money as you want if you’re representing the local chapter of the Cancer Society. All we ask is that you have people come into the store and sign the book.” The “book” is a list of names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers. “We donate based on how many people the charity sends in and we get everything we need to contact them in the future.”

They’ve been able to reduce advertising costs while building their mailing list and goodwill throughout the community. They give away tens of thousands of dollars to 30 to 40 charities each year, boosting their community profile in the process and guaranteeing foot traffic.

“When we hire people, we ask them to tell us about their community involvement. Everyone is involved in the community, and if they need to work on that during store hours, we make that possible,” Worley says.

Another big change they implemented was a 30 percent reduction in inventory. “We reduced all the inventory to what’s in the case and we buy continually,” Worley explains. “We’re placing orders just about every day. That’s what really turned us around financially. He carries no debt.”

How These Cool Georgia Jewelers Reinvented Marketing

Rod Worley, manager, and Jessica Rossomme, director of operations.

How It All Started

Mucklow, who grew up in Chicago, took a circuitous route to retail.

The most likely career for him would have been a third-generation electrician, he says. “I always liked to work with my hands, but Grandpa and Dad always said you’ve got to go to school and work with your head, not your hands.” A film major, he took two elective metalsmithing classes at Southern Illinois University and began crafting art jewelry in his mother’s basement, an effort that led to acceptance in a juried Chicago art fair. “I don’t know what inspired me. I was very primitive in materials, wood and ivory and amber, organic materials, silver, rattlesnake rattles.” With plans to start a family, he landed a job polishing wedding rings, and then worked in a variety of roles in wholesale and retail companies before he returned to the bench to learn to repair fine jewelry.

Robert and Priscilla moved to Peachtree City, GA, in 1986, after his sister relocated there. “It’s an idyllic town,” Robert says. “It looked like heaven on earth.” Mucklow initially worked as a lead goldsmith for Maier & Berkele Jewelers in Atlanta.

A decade later, he stepped out from behind the bench, setting up a 130-square-foot shop with two showcases called Canterbury’s Gift Shop and Mucklow’s Fine Jewelry.

“I fell in love with retail because back in the day, when I was doing those art fairs, I got to meet you — the person who was going to wear the earrings,” Mucklow says. “That’s what I had missed all those years.”

In 1999, he graduated to his own 800 square-foot strip center rental space, which was half shop, half showroom. But Mucklow couldn’t create the overall impression he craved without his own building. So he bought a lot across the street and planned every detail of his building, inspired by the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright and assisted by like-minded architects.

“The décor of my store was very important to me,” he says. “We’re big fans of the Arts and Crafts period, and that’s reflected in furniture design, showcases, everything.”

Even the drainage eave spouts on the roof are historically correct. “He didn’t just put up rain gutters,” says Worley. “He researched and had another company bring in the right rain gutters for the period. It’s part of the whole philosophy; it’s all about the details that when you put it all together make a huge difference.”

Mucklow wanted his store to showcase handcrafted jewelry along with the pottery and glasswork of the artists he knew from his days on the art-show circuit. “I have absolutely zero threshold resistance,” Mucklow says. He’s got proof of that:

“One Saturday morning, a guy walks in at 10 a.m. and sits down in an overstuffed leather chair. The staff tries to approach him. Finally he says, ‘I’m getting new tires at the tire center and if you don’t mind, can I wait over here?’”

Mucklow says much of the magic lies in authenticity. “Everything you saw and heard in the store was me. I was the DJ, I picked all the music we would play. I want people when they drive down the street to have an experience when they pass by my building. I want the experience to envelope you as you approach, with the atrium and the cathedral ceiling, the mica light fixture.”

Now Mucklow, although still overseeing the business, spends most of his time with Priscilla, their three children and seven grandchildren, planning getaways in a newly purchased RV. And his dream store is just a 20-minute stroll through the woods in the idyllic village he still adores.

PHOTO GALLERY (10 IMAGES)

Five Cool Things About Mucklow’s Fine Jewelry

1. Personal connections. A Brand Ambassador program directly rewards clients for sharing their excitement for the brand.

2. Team building. Mucklow’s empowers staff to make decisions, pursue continuing education, chair local charities and go on buying trips. Employees benefit from generous paid time off, educational support and flexible schedules. After their first 90 days, everyone gets four weeks of vacation and five paid holidays.

3. Reasonable workload. Limited store hours allow full-time team members to work just 36 hours per week. The store is open five days per week and closes at 5:30 p.m. It works. “We had done the research and we knew what the traffic patterns were,” Worley says.

4. Every visit is unique. “We are an escape from the mundane,” Worley says. “Every touch point reaffirms and strengthens the other. Our captivating décor creates a visual experience and is enhanced by our jewelry offerings. We don’t carry under stock; jewelry sold is replaced with a different offering. We’re continually sourcing new designers and reworking our displays so every trip to Mucklow’s is unique.”

5. Accessible authority. The online Mucklow’s Magazine has become the destination for women in search of a one-stop site for their fashion, health, beauty and fitness needs. Constantly updated with engaging articles, the site is also an invaluable source for wedding planning and features local vendors for a range of bridal needs.

JUDGES’ COMMENTS
  • Lyn Falk: Informative website with good info on founder. The great online magazine supports the business. Amazing attention to detail with the Arts and Crafts decor throughout. Exterior design is strong and memorable. The butterfly bench has probably become an iconic piece!
  • Sofia Kaman: What an inspiring business! I love the magazine and Brand Ambassador programs. Here’s a model of how to stay connected and relevant to customers for life!
  • Tiffany Stevens: Gorgeous exterior, colorful and fun overall.
  • Mia Katrin: Beautiful, warm and elegant interior and exceptional Arts and Crafts inspired exterior. Mucklow’s Magazine is a cut above!

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You Wouldn’t Cut Your Own Hair. Why Run Your Own Retirement Sale?

After being in business for over a quarter of a century, Wayne Reid, owner of Wayne Jewelers in Wayne, Pennsylvania, decided it was time for a little “me time.” He says, “I’ve reached a point in my life where it’s time to slow down, enjoy a lot of things outside of the jewelry industry. It just seemed to be the right time.” He chose Wilkerson to handle his retirement sale because of their reputation and results. With financial goals exceeded, Reid says he made the right choice selecting Wilkerson to handle the sale. “They made every effort to push our jewelry to the forefront of the showcases,” he says, lauding Wilkerson for their finesse and expertise. Would he recommend them to other jewelers who want to make room for new merchandise, expand their business or like him, decide to call it a day? Absolutely he says, equating trying to do this kind of sale with cutting your own hair. “The results are going to happen but not as well as if you have a professional like Wilkerson do the job for you.”

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