True Tales: Pregnant Pause

Published

17 years ago

July 2, 2008

Strange stories from the front lines

?A man and a woman came into our store; she was limping in obvious pain and also very pregnant. She had on a wide sterling silver toe ring. Due to her pregnancy, her foot had swollen and she could not get the ring off. She had been in pain the previous evening, and in an effort to remove the ring, her husband had used an electric drill to bore holes in the ring. During this process, he drilled a hole through the ring and into her toe. The ring also became hot enough to burn her toe. Our normal handheld ring cutter would not work because the ring was too wide. The only way I could figure out how to remove the ring was with my flexshaft drill. But the drill was attached to the wall and would reach only to my bench. We decided that if she sat on the chair back with her husband holding her, she could get her foot high enough to use the drill. To keep the ring from heating during the cutting, I ran the drill slowly, stopping often and dipping her toes in a cup of ice water to cool the ring. After 30 minutes, we were successful in removing the ring and in not having to deliver a baby.?

RANDALL P.,
WAYNE, NE

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.