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VON BARGENS JEWELERS: HOW TO GET VERY BIG RESULTS FROM VERY SMALL STORES | March 27, 2013 (0 comments)
Burlington, VT--Goldilocks understood the importance of knowing when something was just the right size. And so does Von Bargen's Jewelry, with four locations in Vermont. In addition to Burlington, the other three stores are in Springfield and Stratton, VT, and one in Hanover, NH. The Centurion caught up with second-generation jeweler Julie Von Bargen Thom to talk about the business.
"Business is good. We've had a strong start to the year," she says. Thom credits two main factors: one, a "fantastic team that I feel so good about at all our stores," and two, "we've also been tweaking our product selection. It's a combination of those elements."
Thom has seen significant growth over the last few years, in part due to the scale of the markets where her stores are located--small markets with stable academic and health care institutions. Thom says, "In Vermont, Burlington is the biggest city in the state and it's still small. Our other stores are in towns of 8,000-10,000 people. Our local following is critical but we are also in areas that attract tourists and second home owners who can become loyal clients."
The markets are small, and so are Von Bargen's actual selling spaces, creating a boutique shopping experience. The Hanover, NH store has 1,000 square feet total (for sales and office). In Vermont, the Burlington store is larger with 2,500 square feet devoted to sales. The Springfield store, for studio and retail, is 2,000 square feet total. And the Stratton location has only 800 square feet. But that's the only thing that's small--sales definitely are not.
Top of page: interior of Von Bargen's Burlington, VT location. Below, from top to bottom, exteriors of the Hanover (NH), Springfield (VT) and Stratton (VT) locations.
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The inventory. 'The Finest Diamonds & Artisan Jewelry,' is the tagline for Von Bargen's, reflected in the store's inventory.
When Thom's father John started the business thirty years ago, he focused on the best quality diamonds. "Only ideal cuts," says Thom. "All our rounds are ideal, no matter how small or how large." Even the small stones, down to 0.02 carat, are ideal cut at Von Bargen's.
"The whole purpose of a diamond is their ability to sparkle," she says. "Especially when the stones are small, you won't see them unless they are brilliant. The visual impact has to be big, so we prioritize the cut so that the diamonds show – they perform as they should. By hand selecting every single diamond from the smallest melee to the largest center stone, we have more control and are able to provide the finest quality at a better value.”
On the artisan jewelry side, Thom says they carry a few national designers and many interesting boutique designers. "We want to have a more unique collection than other stores," says Thom of how inventory is chosen for the stores. "We're not particularly 'blingy.' We want something sophisticated that doesn't yell its value. We love Alex Sepkus and interesting designers like Todd Reed, Ann Sportun, and Sarah Graham. And Gellner. We used to sell pearls but it wasn’t a big category for us- too formal for our market. These are edgier. They've done phenomenally well."
"We don't just look at product design when we decide what to sell," says Thom. "We like jewelry made in the USA or Europe, from small family businesses where the designs are made in-house. We buy from companies who provide good jobs and competitive pay for their employees. The social responsibility as well as environmental attention is important to us and to our customers."
Along with the quality diamonds and artisan jewelry, Von Bargen's also offers its own collection. "It's not branded under a particular name. We just refer to it as the signature collection. It's predominately diamond, diamond ears, pendant, engagement rings. Classic diamond inventory."
Thom says the Springfield location has a jewelry studio where they manufacture in-house. "We have a jeweler in our studio who is continually becoming more skilled at creating truly fine jewelry. My dad assists to an extent, and with Jason’s engineering eye, he is helpful in the decision making around the manufacturing. We all contribute to the design ideas--the jeweler, my dad, Jason, myself and our team. Our sales team has an eye and understanding for what sells so we also listen to them.”
The clients. "We know our clients personally and intimately," says Thom. "We target individual clients for various promotions, sending emails, postcards and the like, creating a personalized experience for each one. Our asset is that we are smaller. We provide an experience they cannot get at a chain store. For finding new clients, we previously did print and online advertising. This year, it was predominately television ads and reinvesting in our website."
The television ads that Thom says did very well recently were about family and business. "The first was why we believe in what we do. Another was on the artist's focus featuring an interview with Todd Reed shot when he was in town for a trunk show. It was a great event with a great response," she said. "Another was a woman who survived cancer." Each commercial carried a powerful message, one that resonated with their audience. Thom used a local company for the ads.
The website. Von Bargen's has long had a progressive website. In 2008, Jason Thom, along with others, presented a session at Centurion Tucson on "Cutting Edge Internet: Using Your Web Site to Create Sales." Thom says not much has changed in how they view the Internet, but of course the site is always evolving.
Above, the Von Bargen home page; below, the page featuring the store's own manufactured pieces.
"The website is Jason's baby," she said. "His background is in software development at Accenture, where he learned from the ground up. He's a capable and effective mediator between us and the web developers. He understands the technology and the web needs of a business like ours. We offer the same interesting collection of products and fine diamonds. By creating a website that is functional and aesthetically connected to our store identity, we can also offer a great experience to web clients." Thom says that almost all of her in-store clients are also web customers. "Not just for e-commerce but the in-store client appreciates the quality of our website." Thom stresses the website is always a work in progress as technology moves so quickly.
As for sales on the web, Thom comments, "It's not insignificant. It's definitely a part of our business. We hope to grow that part. We see value in it as a resource. For us, it's a place to present our brand to a greater audience and communicate what we have to offer. It's a better way than just advertising."
The people. "We've been fortunate," says Thom. "Over the past few years, we have developed a phenomenal team. Our mission statement and company culture attract a certain type of person. They share our business ethics and philosophy. We wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”
Von Bargen's offers bi-annual company meetings and does monthly internal training for the 17 people who staff the four stores. "Everyone wears a lot of hats," she says wearing her own assortment of head coverings as well. Thom lists her title as owner, store manager, and buyer.
Thom says her father is still active. "Dad has worked for over 30 years and is still in the store. Not full time, but he's definitely involved and certainly involved in our future planning."
Three generations of Von Bargens: top, from left, Jason Thom, Julie Von Bargen Thom, Leslie Von Bargen, and John Von Bargen. Leslie Von Bargen passed away in 2012. Below, Jason and Julie Thom with their daughter Evie.
Thom's favorite part of the business is that is multi-faceted, "the fact that it isn't one thing. And of course that what we sell is so worthwhile and meaningful. It's makes the sale that much more important to us, to be a part of our customer's story."
The history. Adapted from the Von Bargen's website. John Von Bargen was traveling the United States when he visited and fell in love with the beauty of Vermont. He then met and married his wife, Leslie Bibens, a native Vermonter.
In 1978, John opened the first Von Bargen’s Jewelry in Springfield, Vermont and in 1986 & 1987 he opened the two additional Vermont locations. Soon after, Leslie joined John in the business and kept it on course from a financial perspective. In 2002, John and Leslie were joined in the business by their daughter Julie & son in law Jason Thom. Jason had extensive experience in retail consulting as a manager at Accenture in Minneapolis as well as a background in engineering. Julie had a passion for jewelry and experience in retail. As a Dartmouth College graduate, she had ties to the affluent and growing community of Hanover, NH.
John’s vision for the finest quality and his knowledge of diamonds and jewelry making, joined with Jason’s business and technology background and Julie’s retail instincts and purchasing taste, have made Von Bargen’s into a local, family owned success story.