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MAYFAIR JEWELERS: ALL FAMILY, ALL THE TIME | March 20, 2013 (1 comment)
Woodbury, NY—Mayfair Diamonds and Fine Jewelry (left, in East Hampton, NY) is all about family. Vice-president Lauren Kulchinsky-Levison tells The Centurion how that works in her fourth generation, family owned, and family-run business that has an affluent clientele and a celebrity following.
"All our sales help is family. We have support help that's not, but on the sales floor, it's family. It's me, my dad Dan, my brother Justin, my mom Joan, and my aunt Debbie [Simon, Dan's sister]. We made that change four years ago," she says. "We're known for being a family run store, a family driven store. We're also known for finding great jewelry."
Justin, Lauren, and Dan are partners in business: Dan Kulchinsky is the CEO and Justin Kulchinsky is president. And mom Joan is what Kulchinsky-Levison calls "the conscience of the store" when it comes to both environmentally-responsible sourcing and giving back to the community. And her grandmother Shirley, wife of the late Seymour Kulchinsky who died in 2011, would still work every day at age 83, "if we let her," laughs Kulchinsky-Levison.
"Justin is the private end of Mayfair," says Kulchinsky-Levison. "He's one of the hardest working guys in the business. He's brilliant with bridal and diamonds. He's so important in the business; he is more 24/7 than me, especially with the celebrities. Very important people always want to work with my brother." Justin recently married--and his wife's name is Lauren, too.
Kulchinsky-Levison explains the decision to go "all family, all the time."
"When our customers came in, they always wanted to see family. For a long time, everyone just wanted to see my dad, Dan Kulchinsky. We heard 'Is Danny here? Where's Danny?' Customers would stand around and wait for him.
"As we grew, Danny can't be everywhere. My brother and I came in so people got used to being waited on by family. The sales associates we had weren't closing sales, but family members were. So we went to all family on the sales floor. If your name's on the door, that's who they want to see."
And see them they do, even if the Kulchinsky name technically isn't what's on the door. Customer service at Mayfair is almost 24/7, especially if you're working with Kulchinsky-Levison. She has her cell phone, and she's available. "You can shop online 24 hours a day and we want to be responsive to all our customers. If I get an email at 2 a.m., I don't want that customer to find someone else. So I answer. I feel a responsibility."
Dan "Danny" Kulchinsky, at the 2013 Centurion Show moderating a discussion group about vendors that work best.
The Kulchinskys run two locations, one in East Hampton, NY, and another in Woodbury, NY. The family's original jewelry business--wholesale--was on Manhattan's Lower East side, but in 1956, Seymour Kulchinsky opened the family's first retail store in Commack, Long Island, NY. Mayfair was the name of the shopping center it was in, so they just adopted the name.
Kulchinsky-Levison says the Hamptons location has only a two-month selling season, although they pay rent for the space year around. "The Hamptons store is all about people experiencing it. From the first time they walk in, we want to make them feel so loved that they keep walking in every year. We want them to feel so connected that they want to work with us in the off-season. It's so challenging and makes business so fresh every day." During the summer, Kulchinsky-Levison and her brother Justin work seven days a week in the East Hampton store.
The Woodbury location is a bit different. "It's open all year round," says Kulchinsky-Levison. "We do close when we travel to shows (since the family is the sales force). We'll leave up a sign that says "Went to find you guys some great new jewelry; back in a week."
Interior of Mayfair's Woodbury location.
Both stores sell an eclectic mix of designer jewelry, watches and art. "We think of jewelry as art," says Kulchinsky-Levison. "Independent film, art, clothing, anything we feel is wearable art, anything that I think will make you feel pretty, that's what we sell in our stores."
Kulchinsky-Levison "is the first to find the next big thing in jewelry always! I like to stay as quick and limber as I can with a designer," she says. "I watch their careers, although I don't always jump in at first." She buys from the designers when she's ready and she has a good eye for catching designers early in their careers.
Kulchinsky-Levison especially enjoys shopping at the Centurion Show. "The designers there are about running their business, not about running yours, and everyone is on that same game plan. I think it's brilliant."
Lauren Kulchinsky-Levison at the Centurion 2012 show, introducing her brother Ryan Star, below, who was one of the performers at the show last year. "He's been touring with Train, Bon Jovi and O.A.R. the last few years," says his proud sister.
The Kulchinskys let their jewelry and their customers do the advertising, relying on well-chosen locations, word of mouth and referrals to bring in new customers. Even the Mayfair website is only essential information, "We're not website people," says Kulchinsky-Levison. "We let people know where we are and they find us. We'll never sell on the website." While the site may be no frills, it does have interesting features.
The first is the URL. It's www.mayfairrocks.com. Memorable and intriguing. Why mayfairrocks? "Well my brother Ryan rocks," says Kulchinsky-Levison, speaking of rockstar brother Ryan Star. The URL was chosen as his album was coming out. "Plus, we sell rocks, and we rock!"
Another interesting feature is that the website connects family, another constant in the Kulchinsky world. The website is divided into several sections, including the usual 'welcome,' 'information,' and 'timepieces.' Then there are two more sections, linking the remaining two Kulchinsky siblings who don't work in the stores, but it doesn't identify them as family. One is Kristen Farrell, who is a jewelry designer in her own right. The section showcases her jewelry designs. "She takes shop work to the next level," says Kulchinsky-Levison. "She's classically trained and has a workshop in a SoHo boutique in Manhattan. Visitors can see her making creations right in the store."
Another is Ryan Star, linking the visitor to his music. "He's working on his sophomore album, which will be out soon, with Bon Jovi's label, Island," says Kulchinsky-Levison proudly.
Though Kulchinsky-Levison is proud of her siblings and their accomplishments, her own background also is interesting and accomplished. She worked in product placement on the TV show New York Undercover, adding watches to the character's personalities. She also worked with HBO's smash hit The Sopranos, with Mayfair having an end credit for the jewelry they loaned to the series.
"It was really layered on," said Kulchinsky-Levison. "Lots of great Italian designers, but loaded on. Not really how you'd want to see it worn."
In 2002, Kulchinsky-Levison was inducted into the National Jeweler Hall of Fame. She's very proud of being only the second female after Helene Fortunoff, and the youngest inductee. Then in 2003, the Italian Trade Commission gave her the key to Italy.
"I figured I could retire after that. But Dad said no, you've still got plenty to do." Kulchinsky-Levison credits her father Dan for much of her success. "He is my mentor, he has the best style, and he taught me to always treat people like they are in your living room and they will never want to leave." Dan Kulchinsky, the third generation in the business, began working in it full time when he was 18, more than forty years ago.
"He's the heart and soul of Mayfair," says his daughter.
For all her dedication to business, Kulchinsky-Levison also makes time for the personal: her husband and two charities. "One is for breast cancer, HBCAC, and the other is the Red Ribbon Foundation for AIDS.
"We're about 'things' all day long, even emotional things. But the difference between a happy person and a person walking on the planet is one that can get very involved in a charity and give back. I know we all have no time, but when giving, your life goes from good to great."
From left, four generations of Kulchinsky men: Dan, Justin as a child, great-grandfather Shmeil (Sam), and grandfather Seymour.
From left: The four Kulchinsky siblings: Kristen, Ryan, Lauren, and Justin, on Lauren's wedding day.