America's Coolest Stores

Learn About Next Year

Published

13 years ago

July 29, 2011

INSTORE Staff Instore August 2011 Issue

RETAIL JEWELRY STORES in North America and the Caribbean that have not been previous America’s Coolest Stores winners (those stores featured in the August issue of INSTORE magazine). Previous winners may enter other store locations, and they may enter if their winning location has been substantially renovated, modified or expanded since being featured in INSTORE. Entries will be divided into two categories based on the stores’ number of full-time employees, not including the owner(s), once all entries have been submitted and verified by the staff of INSTORE. Big Cool and Small Cool divisions will be determined once all the entries have been submitted and verified. Only stores in which accounts for 50 percent of the floor space and/or 75 percent of sales may enter.

QUESTIONS? coolstores@instoremag.com

To Enter

In order to complete and submit an entry, entrants must complete all required fields in the entry form (to be posted soon) and submit the following materials:

1. Store basics (name, location, number of employees, etc.)

2. Story:

Store bio – no more than 500 words

What’s cool about your store? – no more than 100 words

An extraordinary example of customer service – no more than 100 words

Three fun facts – no more than 100 words

One out-of-the-box marketing initiative from the past year explained – no more than 100 words

3. 6-12 images of the store’s exterior (JPEG files only, 900K-2MB each in size)

4. 6-11 images of the store’s interior AND ONE IMAGE OF YOUR STORE’S OWNER(S). (JPEG files only, 900K-2MB each in size)

5. Advertising samples – 4-8 of any form: print, radio, billboards, TV, stationary and collateral. (image files should be JPEG or PDF format, under 2MB each in size. Audio and video files should be MPEG3 or 4, or SWF (Flash) files under 10MB each in size).

Note: In order to create a basic entry that will give you a username and password that enables you to log in again to add to or edit your entry, you must complete all questions (even with placeholder text), and you must upload at least one file in each photo category.

QUESTIONS? coolstores@instoremag.com

Judges and Methodology

Step 1:

From all initial entries, finalists in each division will be selected by INSTORE’s editors.

Step 2:

Our panel of industry-expert judges will be divided between the two divisions and will rate each finalist from 0-100 in six categories: story, exterior appearance, interior appearance, advertising and marketing, store website and overall individuality.

Step 3:

Total scores are calculated weighting the categories according to importance: story 50 percent, exterior 75 percent, interior 100 percent, advertising 50 percent, website 25 percent and individuality 100 percent. The top five stores in each category are then determined.

QUESTIONS? coolstores@instoremag.com

This Third-Generation Jeweler Was Ready for Retirement. He Called Wilkerson

Retirement is never easy, especially when it means the end to a business that was founded in 1884. But for Laura and Sam Sipe, it was time to put their own needs first. They decided to close J.C. Sipe Jewelers, one of Indianapolis’ most trusted names in fine jewelry, and call Wilkerson. “Laura and I decided the conditions were right,” says Sam. Wilkerson handled every detail in their going-out-of-business sale, from marketing to manning the sales floor. “The main goal was to sell our existing inventory that’s all paid for and turn that into cash for our retirement,” says Sam. “It’s been very, very productive.” Would they recommend Wilkerson to other jewelers who want to enjoy their golden years? Absolutely! “Call Wilkerson,” says Laura. “They can help you achieve your goals so you’ll be able to move into retirement comfortably.”