This story is part of INSTORE’s lead story, “Radical Reinvention”, featured in the December 2025 edition.
K. Hollis Jewelers, Batavia, IL
WHEN KAREN AND ROB Hollis bought a building for their jewelry business in 2021, it turned out to be more than they had bargained for. The former restaurant sprawled over 10,000 square feet. But it was in an ideal spot in Batavia, IL, right across the street from the old space they had rented for years. It was everything they wanted: light, bright, familiar and at a busy intersection.
While they could have partitioned the space and rented out part of it, that plan, which would have required extra bathrooms, firewalls and separate utilities, would have been more expensive than simply finishing the whole thing and spreading out. Their wine bar at the old store had proved successful, so they expanded that feature at the new place. Even so, they were left with 3,000 vacant square feet. Karen’s love of fashion led them to add a clothing boutique area. K Hollis Jewelers, Boutique & Wine Bar was born in September 2022.
Although the couple were optimistic, challenges soon emerged.
“At the end of each season, we always had a lot of leftover clothes,” Karen says. “We were marking things down with each seasonal change.”
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So, in the fall of 2025, they decided to reinvent the business again. They would walk away from apparel, rent out about 3,000 square feet to a complementary business, and refocus on jewelry.
“What we found was competition is heavy with online, especially for anybody under the age of 50,” says Rob. “We had a good clientele who shopped the boutique, and fashion shows were well attended and a lot of fun, but it didn’t translate into a profitable business.”
Rob had also feared that operating two businesses in the same location would detract from their focus on jewelry. “And it did,” he says in retrospect. “Karen was a buyer for both clothing and jewelry, and it is literally running two different businesses. She was having a blast and it’s been difficult for her to walk away from it. But we’re both on the same page that it’s the right thing to do for our business and our employees, some of whom had no interest in selling women’s apparel.”
Moving forward, they’re introducing more jewelry lines while prioritizing engagement, bridal and custom, and cultivating an estate section. “We’re trying to be better at what we think we’re good at,” Rob says.
