Headlines

New Challenges Pose Threat to Los Angeles’ Jewelry District Retailers

Published

7 years ago

August 1, 2016

Store-owners must navigate new social and economic trends.

Jewelers in downtown Los Angeles are finding it more difficult to sustain their businesses in the face of new challenges such as changing demographics, different buying patterns and rising rents, as the Los Angeles Times writes. The article details how jewelry manufacturing in the district slowed in the 2000s, and since the 2008 recession, “the people who historically bought high-end jewelry in the downtown district aren’t shopping as much as they used to, say retailers and industry analysts.”

The article also mentions how the area is seeing an influx of new capital that’s leading to higher rental rates, proving another hurdle for jewelers to clear as they seek to maintain profitability. “It’s not that the industry is disappearing. It’s not that the infrastructure of the industry is disappearing,” says Diana Singer, president of the American Society of Jewelry Historians. “It’s that the people who own the buildings want to maximize their investment, and they can get more if they do something else with it.”

Read more at The Los Angeles Times

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”