Cool Aid!
Always love to read about the coolest stores in the coolest business! — Jim Alati, Simmons Fine Jewelry, Meridian, ID
Not “Fine” with Man-Made Diamonds
If you consider yourself a high-end jeweler and you’re selling lab-created diamonds along with your natural diamonds then you should remove “fine” from your business name. The whole allure of a diamond is in its journey from creation to the sales floor. The process is incredible and the nostalgia is what captures the customer. To undermine the whole process and allure of a natural diamond by selling a lab-created diamond next to it is criminal. If you’re selling lab-created diamonds and promoting them over your natural diamonds then shame on you! — Marc Majors, Sam L. Majors, Midland, TX
Feeling Good
In spite all of our government regulations and what was a downer economy, I’m very optimistic about a fantastic holiday season! — John E. Thompson, Shabree Jewelers, Sheboygan, WI
Still in Love
30 years in, I still love my shop! — Richard Veader, Wakefield Jewelers, Wakefield, MA
Keeping an Edge
Thank you for the great job your staff does every month. You have been getting it right over and over again. Many trade magazines fade, but you have kept the edge. You have been able to keep a light side, while offering great advice from some of the industry’s best. — Scott Kelly, Jems Jewels & Gold, North Wales, PA
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.
