Dream Weavers

Provident Jewelry, Jupiter, FL

OWNERS: Seth Berman, Scott Diament, Nick Linca, Robert Samuels; URL:providentjewelry.com ; FOUNDED: 1993; OPENED FEATURED LOCATION: 2007; LAST RENOVATED: 2013; ARCHITECT AND DESIGN: Dreamstar Custom Home ID & Design International; EMPLOYEES: 10 at Jupiter location; AREA: 1,300 square-foot watch lounge, 3,000 square-foot showroom; TOP BRANDS: Chanel, Breitling, Franck Muller, Louis Moines, MB&F; ONLINE PRESENCE: 12,476 Facebook followers; BUILDOUT COST: $1 million

STEP THROUGH AN interior doorway within the elegant, marble-floored Provident Jewelry in Jupiter, FL, and you may believe you have stumbled through the looking glass into a pleasant but surreal dream.

The Provident Jewelry team has created what they call the Dream Factory, a clubby lounge with a full-size bar, espresso machine, and the ambience of a VIP retreat. The Dream Factory is adjacent to a cigar lounge, too, with humidors, comfy seating and a state-of-the-art ventilation system. The bar is stocked with fine bourbons, Scotches and tequilas, the finest liquor in the world, says CEO Rob Samuels.

“You come in here and it’s such a different experience,” says managing partner Seth Berman. “It’s kind of a lounge-y, laid-back atmosphere with super friendly people, who are very well trained as well. It’s a combination of all those things that create a great experience. It’s more than a jewelry store; it’s a lifestyle.” So it’s not unusual for clients to hang out at Provident Jewelry for hours.

The management team at Provident Jewelry pushes the envelope when it comes to creating far-flung customer experiences.

“Before the Dream Factory, we used to see top clients four to six times a year,” Samuels says. “Now we see them a couple times a month or more. We’ve created an atmosphere that is fun, relaxing and luxurious.”

It’s also expanded the store’s appeal to men in an affluent area where women with their own disposable income tended to be the core clientele. Now everyone feels equally comfortable. There’s wood on the walls and the floors, and the bar, accented with stainless steel, also has a layer of transparent granite on top and in front of it. “It’s more male-focused, but when we have events, it’s a place where everyone gravitates,” Samuels says.

The showroom floors are two types of marble with a micro-mosaic border. The showroom is much lighter and brighter in design, overall, than the lounge space. But although the main showroom and the Dream Factory look and feel very different, the use of earth tones ties both spaces together aesthetically.

Pampering extends far beyond the walls of the store as Provident hosts one-on-one global adventures for their VIP clients. Itineraries are influenced by clients’ interests in watches and jewelry, but the sky’s the limit.

The Dream Factory is a bar and luxury lounge adjacent to the showroom.

“We’re not talking dinner here,” says Berman. “We offer an opportunity to test drive rare cars, attend the Monaco boat show and a factory tour of a nautical-based watch brand, race a car at YAS Marina Circuit, golf with professional golfers, sail on America’s Cup committee boat in Bermuda, fly to Switzerland for a private helicopter tour as well as a private tour of a watch factory, travel the world and more.”

While some of these trips are (obviously) expensive, Provident offers them because the clients enjoy doing things with the Provident team, says Samuels. “The worst thing we can do in today’s market is to be the same or not stand out.”

Provident was founded in 1993 by Art Samuels and his son, Robert, in downtown West Palm Beach. In 1999, Rob Samuels and Scott Diament bought the majority interest in Provident from Art. Scott’s cousin, Seth Berman, came aboard in 2002, after earning a degree in psychology. Berman and Nick Linca are managing partners of the Jupiter location. ”It feels like one big crazy family,” Berman says. “There’s corporate power with a family feel.”

The Provident team now owns seven stores in the Sunshine State. Berman and Linca are passionate about finding the next breakout brands to bring to their clients, but they also deeply value one-of-a-kind estate jewelry. “We try to have something for everyone, but we are geared to high-end wearer pieces as well,” Berman says.

They launched a new website in November equipped with e-commerce to expand their national reach.

Hosting community events fits with the company’s work as lifestyle philosophy.

They’re also active in community philanthropy. They host charity events in the Jupiter store several times a year, covering all costs, setting up silent auctions and attracting new supporters to causes important to their clients and their staff. One annual event is a kick-off party for the Furry Friends annual gala. They also support the March of Dimes, the Jupiter Police Foundation and cancer research, sometimes with a small cocktail party for their boards and other times for a holiday party attended by 250 to 300 people. “Our team has been in the business for decades, but their knowledge isn’t the only cool thing about them. They have so much heart,” says Elizabeth Portmess, former marketing manager.

“I think most importantly, it gives us a positive brand recognition and associates us with doing good in the community,” Samuels says. “While they’re here in the store, they can see the concept of the lounge and the bar. They start to browse, and by the end of the night, everyone wants to see all the beautiful stuff and our sales staff is running around showing jewelry and watches.

“We’re big believers in doing the right thing and it will come back to you.”

PHOTO GALLERY (18 IMAGES)

Five Cool Things About Provident Jewelry

1. Great people. Because of Provident’s reputation for positive energy, qualified job seekers look to the company for opportunities. Once onboard, staff are trained at GIA in gemology and in Switzerland for watches, in addition to receiving training closer to home. “Product knowledge is super important,” Berman says.

2. Fun vibe. The company cultivates a professional sales style, which is also casual and low pressure, Berman says. “It’s a lifestyle, not a job where you clock in and clock out. Work and pleasure overlap for us quite a bit. We’re constantly going to events, and involved in community outreach. Our staff is all in.”

3. Wide-ranging marketing. Provident partners with brands for billboards and magazines. They also keep up with social media and paid advertising and get staff on board to develop social-media relationships. They say they’re not afraid to try big things marketing-wise because they have the power of seven stores behind them. Says Berman, “We ask, ‘How’d you hear about us?’ They’ll say, ‘I saw the billboard, the commercial, a friend told me, then I saw you in the magazine and on Instagram.’ It’s the sum of all parts.”

4. Cutting-edge website. Traffic is up since Provident launched its new e-commerce website in November. “I believe wholeheartedly that the in-store and out-of-store experiences are top notch, but we fell by the wayside as far as the online experience,” Samuels says. “Since we upgraded our website, though, you’ll find it to be both visually elegant and easy to navigate.” The website has its own social wall; clients can take a picture of their new watch or upload engagement photos. The social wall not only adds an interactive element to the website, it also makes clients feel like they’re part of the club, says Samuels, who hopes the website will intrigue online visitors enough to say, “Next time we’re in Florida, we’re going to stop by the store.”

5. Happening holidays. Provident hosts holiday parties at each of their stores and releases a highly anticipated holiday catalog in mid-November. A full-time bar tender pours bloody marys and mimosas, from open to close.