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Jack Lewis Jewelers: A Road Warrior Moves Behind The Counter | September 04, 2013 (0 comments)
Bloomington, IL—It's not every day you meet a third-generation, non-family jewelry storeowner who used to be a traveling salesman. John Carter of Jack Lewis Jewelers is one of this rare breed.
Jack Lewis Jewelers' story began 86 years ago, founded by Jack Lewis, himself. He was a watchmaker and a hand-engraver. Bloomington, IL is nicely situated between Chicago and St. Louis, then the site of a busy railway line and part of The Chicago and Alton Railroad. At that time, railroad workers had to have their pocketwatches regulated once a month. Lewis serviced those timepieces andeventually opened his own jewelry store.
Fast-forward to 1992, when the president of Jack Lewis, Inc. (and future owner), John Wohlwend, hired 16-year-old high school student John Carter to work at the store taking care of mail, trash, and the like. Carter did have the chance to meet and work with founder Jack Lewis. At that time, the company had two stores, one downtown and another in Bloomington. In 1994, both locations were sold and one new location was opened. It is where Jack Lewis Jewelers still stands today in a renovated former bank building, complete with a walk-in vault.
Meanwhile, Carter left the store after graduating from a local college, Illinois State University. His next job was as a traveling watch salesman for the Maurice Lacroix watch company. "That's where I learned the business the best," said Carter. "I saw what worked and what did not work for retailers on my route. I also saw what might work that certain owners were not open to. I kept thinking, 'If I had my own business, I'd do this or that.'"
John Carter of Jack Lewis Jewelers.
Carter remembers fondly his retail clients who "took pity on a 24 year old kid" and bought the line after a good sales talk. During this time he learned the value of lines that were "run the right way by people who stood behind them."
In 2002, Carter had the opportunity to come back to Jack Lewis Jewelers as a vested partner. It was time for current owner John Wohlwend and wife Jan, who had no children, to retire, and they wanted someone to carry on the legacy of the store. He and Carter devised a 10-year buyout plan; Carter finished the buyout in eight and a half years, allowing Wohlwend to retire sooner than expected.
Today, Wohlwend stays active in the store's charitable activities and carries the title "Community Liaison" on his business cards. "He is doing what he loves," says Carter. "He's my right hand guy for charitable events. I dreamed up that title for him, and loves it. I always figured that's what retirement was about—not doing nothing, but doing whatever you want to!"
In an uncommon turn of events, Wohlwend and Carter stayed friends during the buy-out. "We had and still have a close working relationship," says Carter. "We still liked each other when the deal was done. We're better friends than before. He's been like my father in business, a mentor."
So what were some of the things that Carter changed about the store once he became the owner? "For me, it was as simple as wallpaper and carpeting. I also became a lightbulb connoisseur. But my first big act was changing the logo." The old one, designed by hand-engraver Jack Lewis, was a script-y, hand engraved representation of his signature. Carter feels the new one is more practical; he had it ready to go before he bought the business. The old sign resides in a spot of honor in a front office where customers can see it.
New logo.
Carter made a few changes inside the store as well. One was to the alloy samples the store carried for engagement ring and wedding band shoppers. He re-imagined the whole experience for his customers.
"I was faced with a dilemma," says Carter. The problem was the valuable case space the samples required. But take them out of the case, and put them where? Carter had a cabinetmaker do a bar height table for all his samples. No strings attached to the jewelry, no wires, just a tall table with samples upon samples for customers to play with, complete with an iPad nearby for photos and emails. Carter finds that it's interactive and engaging to customers. Top of page: a humorous sign delineating the area.
"It's the Wedding Ring Playground," says Carter, who has trademarked the term. "It's a really cool conversation starter. It also shows our customers a layer of trust without having to say a word."While the lack of security may concern some, Carter reports that in the two years since the Playground's debut, no samples have left the building.
When the Playground entered the premises, the thought that Jack Lewis Jewelers, a mature jewelry store, was more of an anniversary store went out the window. "Today, we're a bridal store," says Carter. "That's the vast majority of what we do, along with diamond fashion, high-end watches and sterling silver. We've evolved as a store."
Interior shots of Jack Lewis Jewelers and Wedding Ring Playground, below:
Jack Lewis Jewelers is about 5,000 square feet, with about 3,500 of that devoted to the sales floor. The firm employs 13; 10 are devoted full-time to sales. Carter reaches his customers through traditional advertising methods, such as billboard and email newsletter. His reach is heavy on radio and he and his staff have a robust social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Jack Lewis Jewelers carries a number of brands. Among his favorites are Rolex, SOHO, Scott Kay, Mark Schneider, Ritani, Gabriel & Co., Michael M., Metalsmiths, Chamilia, and Alex & Ani, to name a few.
Carter's experiences as a traveling rep today influence his choice of in-store brands. He looks for vendors with good vibes within their own teams, something fairly easy to spot at trade shows. "Professionally, some of my best memories in this industry include the life-long bonds I forged with my fellow road warriors. When I see those same dynamics in companies that I deal with now, it makes me smile. Plus when a company has well thought out policies on issues that affect inventory and turn, this tells me that they have learned from pitfalls that they've experienced. They develop plans to help their clients become more successful with their brand."
Carter also feels that keeping in good touch with vendors is a must. "They come up with the most innovative things we as retailers are not thinking about."
Carter belongs to a Plexus group, a group of non-competing jewelers who get together in person twice a year and meet monthly via phone. "We share our information and discuss marketing," says Carter. "I think of them as my board of directors. It's nice thing, a bigger group to draw on. They challenge me and keep me intellectually honest."
Carter doesn't miss his traveling days, preferring today to work in the store and go home to wife Ketti and their two-year old daughter Lila, who loves to come to the store and shop. "It's neat to see the business take on my own family dynamic, making changes and shaping the business so it molds to your personality."
John Carter with wife Ketti at an annual fundraiser for the Red Cross.