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What Hingham Jewelers Really Feels About Their 75th Anniversary Store Remodel | July 18, 2023 (0 comments)
Hingham, MA--Hingham Jewelers recently completed an in-depth store remodel to celebrate its 75th Anniversary. The Centurion Store Design Columnist Leslie McGwire interviewed Michael Page, Hingham Jewelers Head of Development and Long-Term Strategic Growth, who shared his feelings below about the intracies of the redesign in a way that all jewelers should read.
LM: What are two most important steps you can take before the remodel begins?
MP: “The most important step for us was determining what our overall mission was with the remodel. What did we want to accomplish with the new space? For us, creating a more open, collaborative environment was key. The second most important step was coming up with a firm plan and timeline. I had a massive spreadsheet to ensure we had all our finishes selected on time before the project started. That latter included a timeline of actual construction, and how we would continue to run the business during each stage of the project.”
Hingham Jewelers Before Remodel
LM: How important is it to have a great architect and General Contractor for your store?
MP: “Having gone through renovations in the past, we were lucky to have an existing relationship with both an architect and a general contractor. Ensuring that they understood our mission was critical to the success of our renovation. In particular, having a contractor you can depend on is invaluable. Our project finished on-time, which we made clear was a non-negotiable from the start. Each day we were not running at our full capacity costs money, so any delay would be detrimental.”
LM: Would you ever want to be your own General Contractor and why?
MP: “Absolutely not! We really felt like we needed a dedicated professional to oversee all aspects of the project. We, of course, were very involved the entire time, but we also needed to ensure we had time to successfully run the business during construction. That would’ve been nearly impossible if construction coordination was our full-time job.”
LM: Where do you think most of the budget in remodeling should go into: Interior designer services, Cabinetry, Flooring, Lighting, Architects, or General Contractors?
MP: “Truthfully, I don’t think you can skimp on anything. Having a beautiful design is invaluable, with materials that look and age well. We likely paid a bit more for a contractor than we could have, if we went with a different company, but we knew by spending the money we had a professional who would keep us very close to budget, and more importantly, keep the project on time.”
Hingham Jewelers after remodeling process
LM: How important is the floor plan to your overall completed store?
MP: “We spent lots of time on our floor plan. We had so many drafts! But with each revision we felt better and better about what we were doing. Leslie [whose company served as Interior Designer] provided her expertise to our knowledge of how our own store works. It was worth putting as much time into the plan as we did—don’t shortchange yourself in this step.”
LM: What did you like during the remodeling process?
MP: “It’s fun to be able to start fresh! The last remodel we did was 20 years ago. It was time to change the look and feel. More than anything, we needed to realign our physical store with our current business model, and how we plan to grow in the future.”
LM: What did you NOT like during the remodeling process?
MP: “As fun as it is to start fresh, it can be daunting. So many choices. Constantly thinking about how each of the choices will go together is a lot—will the floor look as good as we think with the new cases? What about the light fixtures. So, while it’s stressful in the process, it’s very gratifying in the end to see it work well.”
Another Hingham Jewelers interior post-remodel photo.
LM: What are your thoughts about the General & Advance Lighting Design and the Selection of Decorative Lighting Fixtures?
MP: “Lighting is so important in a jewelry store. When we first looked at the lighting plan, we were shocked how many lights were recommended. Now that we’ve been in our new store, it’s what people comment on regularly. How bright it is! Which is of course great for people’s mood and displaying jewelry.”
LM: What are your feedback suggestions on working with Interior Design Company, Architects, Vendors, and General Contractors? Did it help your team to visualize the overall design with the Design/Mood board?
MP: “The design boards helped us gather ideas and organize our thoughts. Our plan of what we wanted morphed over time, evolving as we saw options and really dug into each selection. More than anything, we’re glad we started planning our renovation more than a year in advance. That gave us the time to really consider all feedback, think about it, and make the best decision for our business.”
“This renovation was all about making sure our business in South Shore, MA is well positioned for many more years of community service by helping local families celebrate engagements, anniversaries, and birthdays. We are so fortunate to be part of all these happy occasions.”
About the Author: Leslie McGwire™ has over 35 years in business development, interior design, equipment, furniture sales and marketing services in retail and jewelry-based businesses. Leslie has won over 25 national design awards, including the prestigious Salon Today and INSTORE Jewelry Store awards. Leslie has a true passion for business, design for the jewelry and retail industries. Visit lesliemcgwire.com for more information.