A few months ago, we asked INSTORE’s Brain Squad to share the top experiences that should be on every jeweler’s bucket list.
The overriding theme in nearly all of the suggestions is to be sure you take time now to do at least some of the things on your list. Don’t wait for retirement, which you keep putting off anyway.
“Do anything that gets your adrenaline flowing and gives you joy,” says Denise Oros of Linnea Jewelers in La Grange, IL. “Learn something new as often as possible. Travel more. Be a tourist even if it is just in your own city. Hike, run, bike, fly, boat. Just go, get out, do! Live longer, love harder and laugh more. Regrets not allowed. That should be on everyone’s Bucket List.”
While the whole story will be published in December, here are a few top suggestions:
- Set a goal. Seek to sell big diamonds – over 5 or 10 carats, for example.
- Take some time off – soon! Take Christmas week off. Or take weekends off for a while, just to see how the other half lives. Or take a six month sabbatical.
- Have an adventure: Drive across the United States. Hike Half Dome in Yosemite. Go on a night dive. Take a cruise. Rent an apartment in Manhattan for a month. Get a pilot’s license. See one of the Wonders of the World.
- Take a jewelry-related trip. Visit the Gem Gallery of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Visit the Hong Kong jewelry show. Visit a gem mine. See how a diamond is cut in person. Join a buying group. Stay longer than you need to at the Tucson gem shows and take time to explore. Take GIA courses.
- Take your business to the next level. Remodel your store. Spend some time learning jewelry design and/or working on the bench. Enter INSTORE’s America’s Coolest Stores contest.
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Ready to Relocate? Wilkerson Makes Your Move Seamless
When Brockhaus Jewelry decided to leave their longtime West Main Street storefront for a standalone building elsewhere in Norman, Oklahoma, owners John Brockhaus and Brad Shipman faced a familiar challenge: how to efficiently reduce inventory before the big move. Their solution? Partnering with liquidation specialists Wilkerson for a second time.
"We'd already experienced Wilkerson's professionalism during a previous sale," Shipman recalls. "But their approach to our relocation event truly impressed us. They strategically prioritized our existing pieces while tactfully introducing complementary merchandise as inventory levels decreased." The carefully orchestrated sale didn't just meet targets—it shattered them.
Asked if they'd endorse Wilkerson to industry colleagues planning similar transitions—whether relocating, retiring, or refreshing their space—both partners were emphatic in their approval. "The entire process was remarkably straightforward," Shipman notes. "Wilkerson delivered a well-structured program, paired us with a knowledgeable advisor, and managed every detail flawlessly from concept to completion."
