True Tales: Not-So-Hot Property

Published

17 years ago

July 2, 2008

Strange stories from the front lines

?We buy jewelry and scrap gold off the street. Recently, two women came into the store with a couple of gold chains and a tennis bracelet (with the retail tag still attached!) to sell me. I could tell immediately that the chains were counterfeit even though they were stamped 14K. And a quick look through a loupe told me that the tennis bracelet was no good as well. I overheard a short discussion between the two women which indicated that they had purchased the items from a man on the street, and they thought they had gotten a good deal because it it was stolen merchandise. Never occurred to them that a man who told them he was a thief might also be a liar. Talk about instant karma!?

LEN O.,
IRWIN, PA

?In the summer of 2004, we raised our prices for watch batteries from $5 to $6. One customer got upset when I insisted that he pay the extra dollar. He claimed that as a ?good customer?, he shouldn’t have to ? even though all he had ever purchased from me was batteries for watches he had bought elsewhere. Finally, he stormed out of the store, blasting the door open with enough force to crack a $900 window. He hasn’t been back since.?

ALADAR S.,
CLEVELAND, OH

Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success

After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone. Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently. The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.