True Tales: I Saved Sarge’s Life

Published

15 years ago

July 2, 2008

I was a sergeant in the Air Force for 20 years, which I mention in all my advertisements. One day while I was out of town, an older World War II guy comes in to sell a piece of jewelry. My brother Gil offers him a price, and the guy gets very upset, saying it is worth a lot more. Gil patiently explains the price, but the guy says, “When I pulled the Sarge [that’s me] out of that burning tank, he said someday I will repay you for saving my life. Well, today’s the day. The Sarge would pay me this in a minute!” I don’t remember if Gil paid him more or not, but when I got back into town, my employees were laughing. They said, “The guy who pulled you from that burning tank was in while you were gone.” The 20 years I was in the Air Force, I don’t remember ever even seeing a tank in person. It took the cake, great story!!

ART A.,
LARGO, FL

?About three years ago a lady was bragging about how much more she could get elsewhere and how she was a jeweler
herself on the side. She showed me another piece and I said “Nice Art Nouveau piece!” And she said, “I have had several pieces designed by him.” “Who?” I said. “Art Nouveau”, said the expert seller…. Sheeeesh!?

JEFFREY HESS
Hess Estate Jewelry; St. Petersburg, FL

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.”