Editor's Note

Now Introducing The INSTORE Show, Coming to the Chicago Area in 2023!

Some cool educational and networking concepts will make this a next-level trade show.

Published

3 years ago

July 5, 2022

Trace Shelton Instore July 2022 Issue

I HAVE SOMETHING TO announce that I’m totally psyched about: INSTORE will be back in the Chicago area in 2023!

That’s right, the newly rebranded INSTORE Show will take place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont on Aug. 12-15 of next year.

Since the last iteration of The SMART Jewelry Show in 2016, we’ve had readers imploring us to bring it back. But we wanted to make sure that when we did, we did it exactly the way you would want it. So we asked our Brain Squad, and you told us you preferred August. You also told us that you still prefer the Chicago area, and we’ve located the show in Rosemont because it’s closer to the airport and easier for locals to reach by car.

One thing that won’t change is the quality of educational programming. Our editorial team is carefully crafting a set of sessions that will address the most important issues facing jewelry retailers today — and we’ve placed a premium on panels, so that you can draw on the best practices of your fellow retailers.

We’ve got some new ideas we’ll bring to bear, including a limited-seating intensive workshop with the industry’s top consultants (who also happen to be INSTORE columnists).

Obviously, we still have a lot of details to work out. But you can be the first to hear all the latest developments by visiting theinstoreshow.com and signing up to be an INSTORE Show Insider. More details to come in the months ahead!

Trace Shelton

Editor-in-Chief, INSTORE
trace@smartworkmedia.com

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

Sign you or your employees up for a course that teaches you how to take better product and social media pictures with your smartphone. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 22)
To integrate humor into your conversations, use personal stories where life threw you a banana peel. (The Big Story, p. 30)
Come up with three things you wish every prospect knew about your business and use them to inform all of your marketing. (Benchmarks, p. 44)
Regularly ask your employees, “What one thing can I do to make it easier for you to do your jobs?” (Ask INSTORE, p. 54)
Hire a local high school student as a polisher; you can later train them as a jeweler if they show interest. (David Geller, p. 48)

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.