Brainstorms

This Store Taps into Hometown Nostalgia

It has been the most successful marketing strategy in the store’s 75-year history.

Published

1 week ago

November 21, 2023

Julie Fanselow Instore November 2023 Issue

What is jewelry but a way to show what’s important to you? And in Mississippi, that could be your hometown. “In the South, where you are from and your ‘heritage’ is a badge of honor,” says John Ravenstein, owner of Juniker Jewelry in Madison Country, MS. To tap into this local pride, his store created its Heritage Collection, which “symbolizes the history of small-town Americana” with each piece taking the name of a town in the state, he explains. Mississippians from all over flock to Juniker to buy a piece of “their town,” making this the most successful marketing strategy in the store’s 75-year history.

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.”