Editor's Note

If You Love INSTORE, Please Join Our Brain Squad!

The monthly survey group requires a low investment of your time but yields exceptional information for the magazine.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 4, 2025

Trace Shelton Instore May 2025 Issue

IT’S MAY AGAIN — our biggest issue of the year, which also means lots of content.

We’ve got two big stories for you: one about how to use social media more effectively, and the other about making your repair shop more profitable. We’ve also got our Buzz Session spread where our readers sound off about remodeling, as well as membership in local business organizations. Not to mention our data-driven sections like Hot Sellers, Heat Map and the Jewelers Confidence Index.

All of these lean heavily on our Brain Squad — the survey group of jewelry store owners and managers who answer a short series of questions every month. Without our Brain Squad, we would not be able to bring you the innovative advice, fun stories and accurate sales data that we do each issue.

Here’s the problem: Our Brain Squad participation is shrinking. Why? Well, some readers have retired, some miss the survey in their inbox, and some just get busy. Regardless of the reason, we could really use your help.

If you’re part of the Brain Squad and you’ve just gotten out of the habit of responding, please consider jumping back in! We read and appreciate every comment. And if you’re not part of the Brain Squad but would be willing to devote five minutes per month to a survey that can vastly improve INSTORE’s content, sign up today at https://instoremag.com/brainsquad . You won’t be sorry you did!

Now Introducing The INSTORE Show, Coming to the Chicago Area in 2023!

Trace Shelton

Editor-in-Chief, INSTORE
trace@smartworkmedia.com

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

In June, ask holiday-season customers to bring in their jewelry for a free checkup. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 38)
Make videos for social media that feature slow reveals of jewelry pieces inside a box to keep viewers watching longer. (Most Social Stores, p. 46)
Aim to produce three quality Reels per week for social media. (Most Social Stores, p. 46)
Give spiffs to your bench jeweler who completes the most production in a single quarter. (Repair Revolution, p. 57)
Don’t use images on your website larger than 200KB — they will slow down load speed and irritate site visitors. (Chris Austin. p. 79)

Four Decades of Excellence: How Wilkerson Transformed a Jeweler's Retirement into Celebration

After 45 years serving the Milwaukee community, Treiber & Straub Jewelers owner Michael Straub faced a significant life transition. At 75, the veteran jeweler made a personal decision many business owners understand: "I think it's time. I want to enjoy my wife with my grandchildren for the next 10, 15 years." Wilkerson's expertise transformed this major business transition into an extraordinary success. Their comprehensive approach to managing the going-out-of-business sale created unprecedented customer response—with lines forming outside the store and limits on how many shoppers could enter at once due to fire safety regulations. The results exceeded all expectations. "Wilkerson did a phenomenal job," Straub enthuses. "They were there for you through the whole thing, helped you with promoting it, helping you on day-to-day business. I can't speak enough for how well they did." The partnership didn't just facilitate a business closing; it created a celebratory finale to decades of service while allowing Straub to confidently step into his well-earned retirement.