Editor's Note

In Celebrating 20 Years of INSTORE, Our Readers, Advertisers and Team Deserve Credit

We’re all in this thing together.

Published

2 years ago

December 21, 2021

Trace Shelton Instore January 2022 Issue

I’m happily tongue-tied. Flabbergasted. Bursting with thought but at a loss for words.

This issue, we celebrate 20 years of INSTORE.

Can you believe it? It seems like only yesterday that we were a fledgling publication in a crowded field of giants, trying to carve out our own niche and convince advertisers that yes, our readers really did love us!

Many of you have shared with us how much INSTORE has meant to you. Well, you mean even more to us, because without the support you’ve shown to us and our advertisers, we wouldn’t still be here.

So, I want to take this opportunity to thank you, our readers, for sticking with us through thick and thin, for giving us your feedback, for sharing your best ideas and practices, and for putting your faith in our work. It means the absolute world to our entire team.

I also want to thank our advertisers. Many of you have trusted our publication to promote your businesses for over a decade. Our readers notice, and we notice. Your faith in us matters more than just dollars and cents — it feels like we’re all in this together.

Lastly, I want to thank our superlative team at INSTORE. We have visionary leadership, the most conscientious editors in the business, a sales team who “gets it” and loves our industry, and a design team that’s constantly pushing our visual approach to the cutting edge.

Congratulations on 20 years of INSTORE — to all of us!

In Celebrating 20 Years of INSTORE, Our Readers, Advertisers and Team Deserve Credit

Trace Shelton

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

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

Offer $50 in store credit to any client who refers a new customer. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 22)
Get an independent appraisal of your inventory. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 22)
Upgrade your lighting to LED to provide better illumination of your inventory. (Cool Evolution, p. 40)
Close one extra day during the summer and fall to give staff time off to unwind. (David Geller, p. 59)
Have just one person greet each arriving customer with a smile, direct eye contact and verbiage that doesn’t sound “sales-y.” (Ask INSTORE, p. 62)

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.”