Do You Or Don't You?

Nearly Half of Jewelers Stock Locally Themed Jewelry

Whether it’s local gemstones or jewelry featuring college sports teams, jewelers succeed with local merchandise.

Published

11 years ago

February 18, 2014

INSTORE Staff Instore March 2014 Issue

44% YES, I DO

Popular local/regional items are jewelry made to celebrate our heritage … pecan charms, Mississippi River pendants, books by local authors, fleur de lis anything. — Joanna Wurtele, Point Coupee Gallery, New Roads, LA
We are in Madison, WI, so we have a lot of Bucky Badger items. They make up only 1 percent of volume, but we would not be without them. — John Hayes, Goodman’s Jewelers, Madison, WI
We sell our Southern Alberta gemstone ammolite, and have done so for over 30 years. It accounts for about 7 percent of gross sales, and is created in silver, gold and gold-plated items. — Lisa Corbin, Tompkins Jewellers, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
We started crafting charms of the various historical monuments of the city in the ’80s and continue to release new charms each year. — Jonathan McCoy, McCoy Goldsmaith & Jeweler, Dubuque, IA
Our Montana Yogo sapphire rivals the Kashmir sapphire in color and quality. The price however restricts some buyers on larger sizes of this variety. — Murphy McMahon, Murphy McMahon & Co., Kalispell, MT
There is a large equestrian community here, so we carry horse-related items (horseshoe rings, pendants, earrings, items with bits and stirrups, etc.). — Ben Brantley, Ben Brantley & Co., Shelbyville, TN
We created the B+ bead for bracelets to help the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, which offers financial aid to families of critically ill children. It has moved very well. — Nancy Carbonetti, Stephen’s Jewelers, Wilmington, DE
We have an extensive collection of officially licensed collegiate jewelry that we sell in our store, on our Facebook store, and at the football stadium on game days. We live in a college town and promote our collegiate jewelry to the community and alumni. — Annette Kinzie, Leonard Jewelry, Stillwater, OK
I had custom shamballa bracelets made with local team sport colors. I donate 100 percent of the profits to the team. — Dorothy Retzke, Krystyna’s Jewelry, Chicago, IL

56% NO, I DON’T

Tried it, but nothing seems to move to make the investment to do a special item worth the time and effort. — Lex Harrison, G M Jewelers, San Jacinto, CA
If the low-quality, low-price jewelry chain stores local to us carry it, we won’t. Besides, we deal with a lot of people from out of town, and it just does not suit their needs. — Deric Metzger, DeMer Jewelry, Oceanside, CA
Nothing of the quality that we demand is available. — Mark A. Young, Mark A. Young Jewelers, Oxford, MI

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.