My Life and Sanity Files

Sanity Files: Jay Klos

How jewelers keep their cool in a crazy world.

Published

6 years ago

November 18, 2014

INSTORE Staff Instore December 2014 Issue

Jay Klos
GROGAN JEWELERS, FLORENCE, AL

Jay Klos, who grew up sweeping floors in his father’s jewelry store, bought Grogan Jewelers in 1985, while he was traveling the Southeast as a jewelry rep. Since then, Klos has been president of the regional Chamber of Commerce, was named Alabama Retailer of the Year in the $2-$5 million category, started Diamond Relations, a CRM company for jewelers in 2009, and won America’s Coolest Stores contest (Big Cool division) in 2014.

Wilkerson Testimonials

Retirement Made Easy with Wilkerson

The store was a landmark in Topeka, Kansas, but after 80 years in business, it was time for Briman’s Leading Jewelers to close up shop. Third generation jeweler and owner Rob Briman says the decision wasn’t easy, but the sale that followed was — all thanks to Wilkerson. Briman had decided a year prior to the summer 2020 sale that he wanted to retire. With a pandemic in full force, he had plenty of questions and concerns. “We had no real way to know if we were going to be successful or have a failure on our hands,” says Briman. “We didn’t know what to expect.” But with Wilkerson in charge, the experience was “fantastic” and now there’s plenty of time for relaxing and enjoying a more secure retirement. “I would recommend Wilkerson to any retailer considering a going-out-of-business sale,” says Briman. “They’ll help you reach your financial goal. Our experience was a tremendous success.”