Editor's Note

What’s Cool About Writing About “Cool Stores”

Independent jewelry retailers grow in “coolness” every year.

Published

3 years ago

August 31, 2022

Trace Shelton Instore September 2022 Issue

THERE’S A REASON we’ve been covering America’s Coolest Jewelry Stores since our first issue in 2002: The best sources for you to learn from are other successful and innovative store owners. This annual issue should spur your creativity and ingenuity.

What amazes me most is that year after year, independent jewelry store owners find ways to take retailing to a new level, bringing in concepts from other retail and service sectors and using them to add to the experience their clients receive. This year alone, we cover M.S. Rau, which features museum-quality jewelry and paintings; Fiat Lux, which melds fine jewelry with body art and piercing; JustDesi, which offers an energy-filled Beverly Hills shopping experience while remaining approachable; Adornment + Theory, which focuses on diversity in its jewelry, artists and staff; Richter & Phillips, which converted a bank vault into a speakeasy; and Pistachios, which uses an innovative social media strategy to make the world of contemporary art jewelry more accessible.

My favorite part of our America’s Coolest Stores project is getting the chance to visit at least one of the winning stores. Writing about jewelry retailing is an exciting vocation, but it’s even more fun when you get to experience the store and interact with the people that make it cool.

If you’ve never entered, mark your calendar to visit instoremag.com/acs in January and do so. Yours might be the next store we all learn from!

Trace Shelton

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

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

Organize jewelry by theme so clients can expand their collections beyond certain designers. (Fiat Lux, p. 38)
Integrate technology that allows you to control lighting and access cases with an iPad. (M.S. Rau, p. 48)
Use your store blog to tell the stories behind your clients’ weddings. (Adornment + Theory, p. 58)
Curate your jewelry online by mood so that customers can browse by “look.” (JustDesi, p. 66)
Use social media to give followers a behind-the-scenes look into your daily operations, from staff to artists. (Pistachios, p. 76)

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.