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George Press: A Fix-It Dad And A Successful Build-It Jeweler For 35 Years | December 03, 2014 (0 comments)
Livingston, NJ--In the heart of Livingston’s central shopping district, George Press Jewelers celebrates 35 years and thousands of 'I do's.' Run by owners George and Cheryl Press, the store specializes in bridal and custom work. The Centurion spoke recently with both George and Cheryl. Left, George and Cheryl Press at the dinner for the 2014 Suburban Essex Magazine Reader's Choice Awards. George Press Jewelers was named the Best Fine Jewelry Store.
George didn't start out to be a jeweler. From the store's website: "Born into a family of artists and photographers, George planned to continue the tradition by attending Pratt Institute, one of the nation’s finest art schools. He studied the great artists of the world, amassed a body of original work, and prepared to pursue a career in the arts.
Then a year before graduating, George took a summer job at a prominent jeweler near his home. As he worked with precious stones and castings, he discovered that his creativity worked as well with gold and diamonds as it did with paintings and lithographs."
"I started the store on my own," said George. "All the original inventory was created by hand. There was no money to buy ready-made inventory." George worked to build his reputation and before long began to bring in outside goods and memo, growing the business.
According to George, bringing his wife aboard was a long-term project. "Cheryl was in the medical industry and had a great job. Took me 15 years to convince her to come here."
George is a handy guy, which comes as no surprise from the man who manufactured all of his initial inventory. He worked to transform the first building that housed George Press Jewelers. "'Come see the store the jeweler built,' was the tagline for the ads during that time," said Cheryl.
When the store moved in 1995 to its current location in the former Mayfair bank building, the Presses bought the historic landmark building along with George's brother, Jan Press. Jan is a photographer who owns Photo Media and the two companies still share space today. The ad tagline during that time was 'Brothers Pull Bank Job in Livingston,' which, not surprisingly, was quite popular. The store is pictured below:
George Press Jewelers is currently celebrating 35 years in business. Their custom tagline for the event is "1000s of I do's. What are you celebrating?" Customers and customers-to-be are invited to "Tell us what you are celebrating and be entered to win the custom jewelry design of your dreams." The winner will be selected on December 6th and the jewelry that is designed will be worth up to $3,500.
George Press Jewelers reaches its customers through various methods. These include billboards in very visible positions, magazine ads, email blasts and social media. The company has a robust presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+. They also hold an annual anniversary sale. "It's a weeklong party with refreshments," says Cheryl. "It's very successful. People really look forward to it."
This varied marketing/advertising outreach connects with the store's variety of customers. "We've had the luxury of being in business for 35 years, so we have three generations of families we serve," says George. "We've been able to nurture the younger generation. Our customer base is not eroding—our aging customers bring in their children. We have young and older customers, both."
As parents of three children of the millennial demographic, George and Cheryl are in a good position to know how to market to them. "Our engagement business is booming with Millennials. We do specialized, custom work. We do designs here you can't get anywhere else."
"With Millennials, often they have specific ideas in mind. They are educated, they've done their homework and they want something different," said George. "They like coming to us. Even more so since we have a strong online presence; they know us. It helps when there's a face and a personality behind the brand."
The staff at George Press Jewelers is very talented, say the Presses. The store employs 11 total, most with many years of service. They have young and older members in place to serve customers and are proud of their low turnover. "It's a family," says George.
The capability for custom work is a priority for the store, thanks to George's love of creating—and Cheryl's love of tech equipment. "We do our own in-house CAD designs," says George. 'We have a 3D printer and a laser. We also have an XRF, which is a precious metals analyzer. It's a great tool for repair and appraisal information and for buying gold. It uses x-ray technology and it's registered with the state of New Jersey. That and our laser are invaluable tools; they get used constantly. We look forward to the tech stuff at trade shows. Cheryl loves it. We hang out on the bottom level checking it all out."
Clearly George Press Jewelers has a good stock of custom work. "We're our own number one vendor," says George. Along with that, bridal is a major category for the store. Brand-wise, the store stocks Verragio, Gabriel & Co., Marco Bicego, Alor, Gregg Ruth, and Dove's, among others. Below, the interior at George Press Jewelers.
The Press' three daughters have learned much from both their parents. "I was always a fix-it dad, not a ball-playing dad," says George. "It was a rite of passage in our family that when each child went to college, they received a tool kit. We taught them to keep it intact and to respect the tools."
A tool kit wasn't all they received; from their former-medical professional mom, they also received an emergency kit. Clearly the two are good combination all around.
The couple's three daughters grew up in the business. There was no pressure from the parents to become jewelers. "We didn't want to assume they would want to be in business. The two oldest followed their own interests. They are still involved, though. They help out with the holidays, referrals, etc. When our youngest, Madeline, graduated from college, she expressed a desire to join the business. She recently came to work full-time."
George and Cheryl both love being at the store and George is the guardian of the store's look, an attitude reflected in this, an excerpt from the store's website: "The minute you walk in the door of George Press Jewelers, you are surrounded by light. Case after sparkling case of rings, watches, necklaces and earrings pick up the sunlight streaming in the windows. Music plays softly in the background and there is a steady hum of activity. Every customer who comes in the door is greeted by name or with a big smile.
Stop by and visit George Press Jewelers, even if you do not find what you are looking for you might find something else entirely- a new friend, a new experience, or, at the very least a piece of chocolate!"