Brainstorms

Why Bank Closings Could Be Good News for Your Store

Think of it as a real-estate opportunity.

Published

4 years ago

January 21, 2019

INSTORE Staff Instore January 2019 Issue

Why Bank Closings Could Be Good News for Your Store

AMERICAN BANKS have closed 9,000 branches in the last decade as digital banking and other trends have resulted in fewer people visiting their physical outlets. While that’s bad news in some communities where consumers now have to travel great distances to find a branch, it’s good news for jewelers, especially those looking for a new location. Few other abandoned commercial buildings are such a good fit for jewelers, given bank branches’ often central locations on Main Street, security-driven designs, features such as walk-in vaults and often cool, retro designs. Pondered a move lately? Keep an eye on your local bank.

It Was Time to Make a Decision. It Was Time to Call Wilkerson.

Except for a few years when he worked as an accountant, Jim Schwartz has always been a jeweler. He grew up in the business and after “counting beans” for a few years, he and his wife, Robin, opened Robin James Jewelers in Cincinnati, Ohio. “We were coming to a stage in our life where we knew we have to make a decision,” says Jim Schwartz. He and Robin wanted to do it right, so they called Wilkerson. The best surprise (besides surpassing sales goals)? “The workers and associations really care about helping us move out own inventory out of the store first. It was very important to us.”