Editor's Note

To Succeed in Business, You Need Both Advice and Inspiration

Luckily, our May issue includes both.

Published

5 months ago

April 22, 2024

Trace Shelton

IF YOU HAD to pick one, which would you seek out: advice or inspiration? Advice could provide that next genius idea you need to elevate your business, while inspiration can challenge and invigorate you. Tough question, right?

Luckily, it’s just rhetorical. You’ll find both right here in this issue.

For inspiration, our lead story profiles a short list of people doing marvelous things on behalf of jewelry retailers and others working in our industry.

From sharing best practices with their peers to campaigning for social justice to pushing technological boundaries to keeping each other safe, we think you’ll agree that these uplifting stories could inspire even the most jaded reader.

And when it comes to advice, our second lead story by Eileen McClelland delivers strategies for making the most of your vendor relationships, particularly at trade shows. (And if you’re a wholesaler or manufacturer reading this, we’ve got some advice for you, too, from our readers.)

As for the rest of the issue, don’t miss the inspiring stories of Rachel Scholan of Diamonds Direct (Best Of The Best, p. 86), Lilly Beaulieu Mullen of Springer’s Jewelers (Cool Stores, p. 104) and Beau Maville of Dutille’s Jewelry Design Studio (Get Inspired, p. 114), as well as tips from our stable of experts (and even more online at instoremag.com).

By the time you’ve finished reading, I hope you’re recharged, educated and ready to take your business to new heights!

Now Introducing The INSTORE Show, Coming to the Chicago Area in 2023!

Trace Shelton

Editor-in-Chief, INSTORE
trace@smartworkmedia.com

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

1. With the pace of work slowing, now’s a good time to hold a staff appreciation event. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 38)

2. Use trade shows to talk to your vendors about overall strategy. Buying and stock balancing should be weekly or daily work. (The Big Story, p. 70)

3. When hiring a new salesperson, ask them to share a story. Good storytellers are worth their weight in gold. (Tip Sheet, p. 88)

4. Surprise team members by calling them into your office for a casual chat, not to address a problem, but simply to acknowledge their hard work. (Megan Crabtree, p. 95)

5. Host live jewelry styling sessions with experts at your store on TikTok and Instagram. (Emmanuel Raheb, p. 96)

Looking for a Seamless Sale? Call Wilkerson

After almost 60 years in business, Breakiron Jewelers in Erie, Pennsylvania, was closing its doors. And the store’s owner, Linda Breakiron, was ready for it. She had run the store as its sole owner since the beginning of the millennium and was looking forward to a change. Of course, she called Wilkerson. Breakiron talked to other jewelers who had used Wilkerson and was satisfied with their response. “They always had positive feedback,” she recalls. With the sales, marketing and even additional inventory that Wilkerson provided, Breakiron insists she could never have accomplished her going-out-of-business sale without Wilkerson’s help. She’s now ready for the journey ahead, but looking back, she’d be sure to recommend Wilkerson. “They just made the whole process very seamless.”