Articles and News
Three NC Jewelers Profiled By Business Journal May 30, 2021 (0 comments)
Greensboro and Winston-Salem, NC—Three prominent jewelry stores in North Carolina’s Triad area were recently profiled by the Triad Business Journal. Image: "Watch & Scotch" event at Windsor Jewelers, its first in--person special events in 16 months.
State St. Jewelers and Schiffman’s Jewelers in Greensboro, and Windsor Jewelers in Winston-Salem were highlighted in the article, which discussed how each not only bounced back after mandated shutdowns last year but also increased business.
None of this comes as a surprise to the jewelry industry, but retail reporters in business and mainstream media throughout the country are perpetually amazed that jewelers—deemed thoroughly non-essential in the pandemic—ended up thriving in 2020.
State St. Jewelers already had a robust online presence—about 20% of its sales are online anyway—pointed out the Triad Business Journal. That put the store in a much better position to quickly transition, owner Mike Wilson told the paper.
Mike Wilson, owner of State St. Jewelers in Greensboro, NC.
At Windsor Jewelers, with a store in Charlotte as well as Winston-Salem, 2020 was a record year for business, and owner Robert Simon told the Business Journal that 2021 is on track to beat it. From the article:
"People have had more time to think about and research different products, different categories of things they'd like to have, like to do. They took the time to learn more about it. I think once they were learning about it, reading about it, then it made it easier. Sometimes life has been so hectic for people, they haven't had time to stop the carousel to look and do stuff for themselves."
For the 126-year-old fifth-generation jeweler, which has three locations—one in Charlotte and two in Winston-Salem—a recent “Watch & Scotch” event in two stores was the first in-person special event in 16 months (below). Both stores were packed with customers sampling Japanese whisky, perusing Grand Seiko and other luxury watches, and just generally enjoying feeling normal again.
Lane Schiffman, fifth-generation vice president of his family’s eponymous store, said essentially the same thing to the Business Journal:
"Families are spending closer time together. People are presenting each other with nice gifts with budgets that may have been taken up previously with the big trip to Europe or the big trip to the Islands. They may see it now as an opportunity to invest into something that is more meaningful and longer lasting. The Rolex business is wonderful. Our diamond engagement ring sales are up because we see more people are deciding to get married," said Schiffman, the vice president of the jewelry company.
Read the full article here. (Subscription may be required.)
Separately, Schiffman’s was profiled in another Triad Business Journal article about the renovation of its Friendly Center store in Greensboro. Lane Schiffman talked about doubling the space the jeweler has occupied there since 1971. About half of the monetary investment is growth, he told the paper, but the remainder is about increasing services and staff, particularly watchmaking and jewelry repair. Plans are to add two watchmakers, a polisher, and three bench jewelers.
Included in the plans are boosting the store’s Rolex boutique sixfold, from 200 square feet to 1200 square feet and dedicating an entire room to the brand. Other brands getting increased visibility include Omega, Tudor, David Yurman, and German gold brand Wellendorff.
"We're going to have a full hospitality bar with 12 seats," Schiffman said. "We'll use it for training in the morning. Our clients will be able to get any type of coffee. We'll have a barista on site; we'll be offering hors d'oeuvres some Fridays. We're going to have parties, we're going to have events. This bar is as pretty as anything you see at a nice restaurant. It's all about the client's experience."
Read more here (subscription may be required).