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Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

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It’s been a year since Mark and Monika Clodius gave the green light to a project that would double the size of their Rockford, IL, store, Clodius & Co. It’s been a long year, and the construction that was to be wrapped up for a September grand opening is not over yet. Compounding the frustrations that accompany any project of this sort, the Clodiuses have struggled through numerous personal crises. Both are now resigned to the fact that the expansion will finish when it’s finished, and that they’ll be stronger individuals for having weathered the process. 

Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

BUTTERFLY EFFECT: An architect draws a floor plan not to scale. A contractor, seeing an architect’s drawing, has no reason to question it. A carpet salesman, asking a contractor for a floor plan, logically wouldn’t bother to take measurements. And a carpet layer informs Mark and Monika they’re 100 square feet short. It was one of these amazing chain of events, Mark says. More amazing is that in the time between ordering the carpet, the manufacturer retooled its equipment and no longer makes the same size or color. The temporary fix A sort of two-tone patch installed while the manufacturer produces a custom lot to finish the job. It looks a little like cool jewelry store meets hotel lobby, Monika says, adding that she hasn’t cried more than at any other time during the project than she did that week. 

Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

OUT OF SEASON: Did you know glass companies have a busy season Neither did Mark and Monika. Apparently a lot of building sites want to button up their projects for the winter months, and the added orders cause a backlog at glass suppliers. The crux at Clodius & Co.: We have this beautiful island, Monika says, with no glass or jewelry in it.

Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

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PROGRESS: While the cabinetmaker won’t be installing their custom work until January, there has been notable progress on the construction front. The trailer that housed temporary offices is gone, and staff members are in the process of moving into new office space. The construction crews have begun packing their tools. The new metal halide lighting is magnificent, according to Mark. And the new paint scheme looks good on the walls, according to Monika. So we’re getting that wow’ factor we were looking for, Mark says. 

Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

 FAMILY FRONT: Throughout the project, the Clodiuses have been beset by personal crises. The latest occurred just days before Thanksgiving, when Monika’s father, the store bookkeeper, received word that a donor was available for a kidney transplant he’d awaited for three years. The surgery a success, it helped put the store’s construction delays into perspective. Life’s too precious to fret much about it, she says. 

Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

 REFLECTIONS: Who would have anticipated all this would have happened Monika says. This was supposed to be easy and smooth-going. You never know what life brings you. Now, we’re just waiting to find a new normal.

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SPONSORED VIDEO

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.”

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Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

Published

on

It’s been a year since Mark and Monika Clodius gave the green light to a project that would double the size of their Rockford, IL, store, Clodius & Co. It’s been a long year, and the construction that was to be wrapped up for a September grand opening is not over yet. Compounding the frustrations that accompany any project of this sort, the Clodiuses have struggled through numerous personal crises. Both are now resigned to the fact that the expansion will finish when it’s finished, and that they’ll be stronger individuals for having weathered the process. 

Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

BUTTERFLY EFFECT: An architect draws a floor plan not to scale. A contractor, seeing an architect’s drawing, has no reason to question it. A carpet salesman, asking a contractor for a floor plan, logically wouldn’t bother to take measurements. And a carpet layer informs Mark and Monika they’re 100 square feet short. It was one of these amazing chain of events, Mark says. More amazing is that in the time between ordering the carpet, the manufacturer retooled its equipment and no longer makes the same size or color. The temporary fix A sort of two-tone patch installed while the manufacturer produces a custom lot to finish the job. It looks a little like cool jewelry store meets hotel lobby, Monika says, adding that she hasn’t cried more than at any other time during the project than she did that week. 

Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

OUT OF SEASON: Did you know glass companies have a busy season Neither did Mark and Monika. Apparently a lot of building sites want to button up their projects for the winter months, and the added orders cause a backlog at glass suppliers. The crux at Clodius & Co.: We have this beautiful island, Monika says, with no glass or jewelry in it.

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Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

PROGRESS: While the cabinetmaker won’t be installing their custom work until January, there has been notable progress on the construction front. The trailer that housed temporary offices is gone, and staff members are in the process of moving into new office space. The construction crews have begun packing their tools. The new metal halide lighting is magnificent, according to Mark. And the new paint scheme looks good on the walls, according to Monika. So we’re getting that wow’ factor we were looking for, Mark says. 

Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

 FAMILY FRONT: Throughout the project, the Clodiuses have been beset by personal crises. The latest occurred just days before Thanksgiving, when Monika’s father, the store bookkeeper, received word that a donor was available for a kidney transplant he’d awaited for three years. The surgery a success, it helped put the store’s construction delays into perspective. Life’s too precious to fret much about it, she says. 

Rethinking the Store: Clodius & Co.: Month 11: Resignation

 REFLECTIONS: Who would have anticipated all this would have happened Monika says. This was supposed to be easy and smooth-going. You never know what life brings you. Now, we’re just waiting to find a new normal.

Advertisement

Advertisement

SPONSORED VIDEO

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.”

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