True Tales

This Jeweler Sent a Vendor a Gift from a Real “Nutcracker”

As a perfectionist, she knew the vendor would recognize the giver.

Published

4 years ago

November 18, 2021

INSTORE Staff Instore November 2021 Issue

This Jeweler Sent a Vendor a Gift from a Real “Nutcracker”

I use a local vendor to do my manufacturing. They will tell you, I’m a perfectionist. This vendor now understands if I send something back, a simple repolish is not going to meet my standards. They work hard for my customers. In appreciation, I often buy their staff lunch, and at Christmas, I usually present the owners with a liquid gift. Last year, it was a fabulous bottle of red wine. In my haste to get out of the city, I packed the wine in bags from the case in my trunk, and I tipped the doorman to please deliver the bottles to their suite. Later that afternoon, I got a phone call asking if these bottles were from me? “Of course! Couldn’t you tell by the incriminating evidence?” Laughing, they replied, “But you didn’t sign your name.” I replied, “Who else would send you wine in a ‘nutcracker’ bag!” — Denise Oros, Linnea Jewelers, La Grange, IL

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.