Connect with us

Raising the Bar

Nothing breaks down social apprehension and signals hospitality like the phrase, “Let me get you a drink” – especially if it happens to be a beer or a glass of wine. Setting aside alcohol’s almost unmatched ability to embolden decision-making, bar areas in jewelry stores have a host of benefits from encouraging customers to relax and linger to making a purchase feel more special and celebratory, while also fostering an emotional connection with the jeweler. Here are how some of the best jewelers in the land have raised a glass — and the bar — to hospitality.

Where Everyone Knows Your Name

“From the moment our customers step through the door, we want them to feel pampered and valued,” says Ryan Berg, owner, and president at Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry. The goal is to ensure that every visit is a memorable experience. At their new Alamo Quarry Market location in San Antonio, TX, they’ve taken this commitment to the next level with a “custom hospitality bar” serving everything from sparkling water to champagne. “But it’s not just about the libations; it’s about fostering a sense of community and camaraderie,” says Berg. In support of this cause, Lee Michaels partnered with a local whisky company, Maverick, to host “Maverick Mondays”—a whisky-tasting event that invites customers to explore new flavors and mingle with fellow aficionados. “Whether it’s discussing the latest timepieces with a trusted sales associate or simply catching up over a drink, we want our customers to feel at home here,” says Berg.

Branded Bottle Leaves an Impression

Erik and Leslie Runyan, owners of Erik Runyan Jewelers, developed their own wine label to promote their Vancouver, WA, business. “It gives me great pleasure to open and share a bottle with a customer or send them home with some to think about and enjoy later,” Erik says. They’ve also hosted Wine Wednesdays to give clients another reason to visit. Light appetizers and local seasonal wines are used to create a fun and casual environment at the jewelry store.

What’s Upstairs? A Lifestyle Libation

On the second floor of BC Clark’s newest store in the upscale Classen Curve shopping center in Oklahoma City, guests will find a second spacious showroom, which is home to the Life:Style department featuring home decor, gifts, accessories, a bridal registry and — what else? — a wine bar. BC Clark is owned by Jim Clark and sons Coleman Clark and Mitchell Clark.

An Elegant Twist on Coffee

An elegant coffee service fits the mood at John Cauley Jewelers of Mobile, AL, which offers beautiful surprises around every corner. “When a new customer comes into the store, we usually hear them say, ‘Wow, this is a hidden gem,’” says owner John Cauley, whose gradual expansion of the space has turned it into a succession of separate rooms, each with a particular style and purpose.

Hershey’s Kisses Always In Stock

Vardy’s Jewelers owners Vandy Shtein, Fanya Hull, Misha Shtein and Alice Shtein strive to make the Cupertino, CA, store welcoming. From complimentary wine and champagne to freshly brewed coffee, the showroom is the family’s home away from home. They roll out the red carpet for customers with comfortable seating, potted plants, real wine glasses and Hershey’s Kisses. Vardy’s is ADA-friendly (including its website) and always has treats and cool water to welcome four-legged guests.

This One’s For Oenophiles

Rome Jewelers is set in a comfortable, friendly environment in Wilmington, OH, complete with a wine bar, large-screen TV and refreshments. In the summer of 2020, they opened a complementary business, Venice Wine, inside the store. Owners Marc and Joe Sodini upgraded the wine cases to custom fit the maximum allotted wine on each shelf. Lighting features in each case illuminate the special details in every bottle. Under the bottled shelved wine, they carry a selection of wine-themed gifts.

Cultivating a Hometown Flavor

Kim Murphy and her daughter, Mallory Murphy, were both instrumental in the interior design of their new Murphy Jewelers store in Whitehall, PA, while consulting with cousin Annie Murphy, an interior designer. They are especially proud of the bridal bar, where customers can shop for an engagement ring while enjoying a Yuengling beer from the Murphys’ hometown of Pottsville, PA. There’s also a cozy fireplace and an 86-inch TV. “Knowing our customers would be spending a lot of time in this area making a lifelong purchase, we wanted to make sure they were comfortable and at ease,” Mallory says.

Bourbon Banishes Stuffiness

When Diamond Center Jewelers opened in 2020 in Fort Smith, AR, the bar area with a 60-inch TV quickly became a client favorite, say owners Jim Cash III and Kayla Cash. “I am a whiskey and bourbon buff, so keeping the bar stocked is a lot of fun to me,” Jim says. “The bar automatically eases clients. They don’t feel like they are in a stuck-up or stuffy jewelry store.”

Everyone’s Favorite Is on Tap

T.C., Beth and Chris Carter envisioned a warm, inviting and hospitable atmosphere for their Mountain Home, AR, store from the moment that clients walk in the front doors and see a fireplace. Carter’s Jewel Chest’s hospitality bar area offers snacks, drinks and a TV. Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s are often shared and a local brewery’s favorite beer and root beer are always on tap. The on-tap beer is proving to enhance the men’s experience, especially, allowing them to feel more comfortable in the jewelry store environment. It doesn’t hurt that the TV over the bar is always playing sports too. In order to further enhance the customer experience, a signature of the store is freshly baked cookies that are passed out daily.

Fully Equipped for Relaxation

The Diamond Family’s owners Michael and Alex Haddad have equipped their dream 4,000-square-foot store in St. Louis, MO, with a lounge featuring a full bar, leather couches, massage chairs, a 60-inch TV, an electric fireplace and refrigerators for beer, water, soda and wine. “Treating people like family is the pillar of our business,” says Michael.

It’s a Treasure Hunt for All Ages

Liz Saba, owner of Presley & Co Fine Jewelers prominently displays a safe from the 1930s near the entrance of the San Diego store. “We keep wine and champagne for the adults, and ring pops and chocolate coins for the kids in the safe, and kids delight in helping to open it and discovering the treasure inside,” Saba says.

Let’s Hang Out

Owner Chae Carter says Carter’s Jewelry of Petal in Petal, MS, is known for being welcoming. In addition to serving refreshments, Carter has responded to the needs of her customers by adding hang-out areas, as the need becomes clear, including a Kid’s Corner for children to play and color while parents shop, and a Men’s Den, which includes a bar and a lounge.

This Bar Is Trademarked

Tim and Sharon Zorells treat clients of Zorells Jewelry in Bismarck, ND, to mimosas, wine, coffee, and soda while they have their jewelry cleaned or browse luxury designer selections at their trademarked Wine and Shine Bar. The store was designed by Leslie McGwire.

The Inner Circle

Since opening its doors in 1837, when Chicago was a dusty town of 4,000 people, CD Peacock has learned a thing or two about providing an enjoyable jewelry retail experience. So when it launched its new 20,900-square foot flagship store, The CD Peacock Mansion at Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook, IL, a bar was always going to be part of the formula. In line with the building’s architectural curves, a circular bar provides “a comfortable haven for relaxation and conversation,” says says owner Steven Holtzman. The beverage menu boasts an extensive array of cocktails, mocktails and flavored lemonades with gemstone-inspired names. It’s all about an elevated hospitality experience, “whether seated at the bar or, having a cocktail delivered to you, or shopping in a private area lounging on sumptuous furniture surrounded by art,” says Holtzman.

Meet on the Mezzanine

When preparing to launch their new location in Norman, OK, in 2024, Brockhaus owners Brad Shipman and John Brockhaus wanted a store that would serve as a source of their market’s jewelry needs and as a community hub. Their “mezzanine” — a large space overlooking the retail floor with creative furniture and lighting, a giant TV wall, conference table, and separate wet bar, is central to that, used for sales events, bridal showers, and — this being Oklahoma — game days on the big TV screens. Shipman says that when putting his concepts of hospitality into action, he likes to think of the words of the late poet Maya Angelou “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

Bar with a View

Few things are as enjoyable as watching others labor over the rim of a drink. Thanks to the store’s plethora of glass walls, the marble-topped bar at Rumanoff’s Jewelers in Hamden, CT, “stocked with almost every libation” allows such a view, enabling customers to observe and appreciate the store’s bench jewelers toiling in the shop.

Under the Tower

While the signature architectural flair of Don Basch Jewelers in Macedonia, OH, is a tower done in the “Western Reserve” style, it sits atop one of the more intimate spaces in the store, the bar area. Bathed in natural light from the windows above and comprised of high-top seating for six, fully stocked beverage fridges, a moon-stone tile backsplash and fireplace, family sports memorabilia, and a TV for live sports, “the bar area is the perfect spot to gather for family chats, all-staff meetings, and to catch up with customers, many of whom are also great friends,” says store manager Dustin Basch.

Jewelry Retailers Offer Hospitality In Creative Ways [Photo Gallery]
1 | 18
Photo Gallery

Jewelry Retailers Offer Hospitality In Creative Ways [Photo Gallery]

Raising the Bar

Nothing breaks down social apprehension and signals hospitality like the phrase, “Let me get you a drink” – especially if it happens to be a beer or a glass of wine. Setting aside alcohol’s almost unmatched ability to embolden decision-making, bar areas in jewelry stores have a host of benefits from encouraging customers to relax and linger to making a purchase feel more special and celebratory, while also fostering an emotional connection with the jeweler. Here are how some of the best jewelers in the land have raised a glass — and the bar — to hospitality.