Guns Are Dangerous
I closed my jewelry store about a year ago, after 34 years in the industry. I had been trained to survive a shooting in my store, but not in a horse pasture. The damage caused by an assault rifle firing in your direction is significant, even if the bullets do not hit you. My horse and I both have PTSD. Jewelers tend to be pro-gun, but no one looks who is behind what you are shooting at, and that is how my business failed: trauma caused by an inattentive shooter. The law enforcement officer that almost killed me did not pay attention to what was behind his poorly constructed target and I saw every bullet pass by as I huddled in a pasture, as horses were screaming and running around me.
Guns are more dangerous than most jewelers know — especially assault rifles. —B. Diane Eames, Gems Of The Hill Country, Ingram, TX
Not Self-Defense
Why don’t you call it what it is: Florida is a seriously messed-up state! Kid robs a store, runs out and gets into a car, then gets shot in the head.
Florida calls that justified? There was no threat to life once the guy runs. It’s a homicide by the store owner! Not self-defense by any means! —Mark Shneyer, M. Stephen Fine Jewelry, Hackettstown, NJ
Come Together
INSTORE Magazine is my grounding. Every month, I get the physical magazine that I can share with our crew or the emails that give tips and tricks. It makes me feel not-quite-so-alone in the business. Yes, we are all in competition with the other stores in our areas, but there is a sense of camaraderie with INSTORE that allows us to share triumphs and woes, as well as tidbits of information that we probably wouldn’t share independently. It gives me a sense of unity that I never felt until I started getting INSTORE. —Wadeana Beveridge, Community Jewelry, Brandon, FL
Too Much Service?
I am for the first time concerned as I see so much retail around me be replaced by services! Even though we will always get some business of custom and repairs, as a designer-retailer, I need to have outright sales, so I can continue to fill my need to create! —Eve J. Alfille, Eve J. Alfille Gallery and Studio, Evanston, IL