Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling, too.
And if you don’t hear them, you should. They should be getting louder every day. The holidays are coming, hard and fast, and the key to having your best season ever is to be prepared. And to really get your cash register ring-ting-tingling, you’ve got to start preparing … this instant! This issue, we’ve done all we could to help you get ready, providing a range of tools including a comprehensive preparations checklist for the months leading up to Christmas, a bushel of innovative promotions your store can try, a warning about the biggest danger most jewelers will face this holiday season, as well as a round-up of the hottest products of the season. (Yes, you should have done all of your holiday shopping by now. But when it comes to product mix, we figure you’re like the Hollywood producer who was asked about a deal being set. ?Of course, it’s set,? he said. ?It’s just not set-set.? So if you’re holiday shopping is done, but not done-done, we hope you’ll enjoy our list of 12 holiday must-buys for your store.)
This issue, we’re also introducing two new columns. The first, ?True Tales?, will focus on the strange things that happen every day in American jewelry stores. The other is ?To Do Or Not To Do??, in which we will ask the retail jeweler members of Instore’s Professional Retail Panel a key question about their business. This month, we ask ?Do you or do you not do direct telephone marketing to your customers?? Turn to page 44 for the (probably surprising) results. Send your feedback to us at Click hereeditor@instoremag.com’>Click here
Wishing you the very best business …
David Squires
Executive Editor and Associate Publisher
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Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success
After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone.
Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently.
The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.
