Headlines

‘Old West’ Jewelry Store Celebrates 127 Years in Business

Published

9 years ago

October 18, 2016

INSTORE Staff

Many things have changed — but a few haven’t.

Today, Nacol’s Jewelry in Wichita Falls, TX, operates in a completely different business environment — and even a different city — than it did when it opened in 1889.

Still, a few things haven’t changed, the Times Record News reports.

Samuel Joseph Nacol launched the business in Eunice, LA, and sold jewelry as well as a variety of general goods throughout the town.

“They would go on street corners and other families’ houses. It’s been fun watching how business has evolved from literally just a guy with a cart to a full-blown e-commerce and retail business,” said Jeff Nacol Turnbo, a great-grandson of Samuel Joseph Nacol.

In those days, merchandise on offer ranged from jewelry to hats to guns — after all, it was the Old West, Jeff Nacol Turnbo notes. Nowadays the focus is on jewelry.

The business moved to Wichita Falls in the 1950s, and today the store serves many customers who have been coming in for decades — along with their children and grandchildren.

Robbi Long, operations manager for the store, says some aspects have stayed the same over the decades, including the fact that the business is “all about the customer.”

“That’s why it makes it family — you treat that person the way you want to be treated,” Long told the Times Record News. “It’s not just hurry up and sell them something.”

Read more at the Times Record News

Four Decades of Excellence: How Wilkerson Transformed a Jeweler's Retirement into Celebration

After 45 years serving the Milwaukee community, Treiber & Straub Jewelers owner Michael Straub faced a significant life transition. At 75, the veteran jeweler made a personal decision many business owners understand: "I think it's time. I want to enjoy my wife with my grandchildren for the next 10, 15 years." Wilkerson's expertise transformed this major business transition into an extraordinary success. Their comprehensive approach to managing the going-out-of-business sale created unprecedented customer response—with lines forming outside the store and limits on how many shoppers could enter at once due to fire safety regulations. The results exceeded all expectations. "Wilkerson did a phenomenal job," Straub enthuses. "They were there for you through the whole thing, helped you with promoting it, helping you on day-to-day business. I can't speak enough for how well they did." The partnership didn't just facilitate a business closing; it created a celebratory finale to decades of service while allowing Straub to confidently step into his well-earned retirement.