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Wick & Greene: You Can Be All Things To All People | August 14, 2013 (0 comments)
Asheville, NC—Wick & Greene Jewelers was founded in 1926. What began as a local repair shop today houses fine jewels, an interior silver store, a host of designer brands and a family of super-sellers. The Centurion caught up with fourth generation jeweler/designer Eva-Michelle Greene one morning before the store opened.
The Philosophy."We try to be all things to all people," said Greene. "We carry a wide variety of jewelry from Pandora to $100,000 loose stones. We're known as a diamond store, and also as a place for custom work. We're here to help people with designs when they are ready for something beautiful."
"We're happy to see all our customers, from the engagement ring customer that works on Wall Street to the truck driver wearing boots. All are welcome."
Wick & Greene exterior, with clock.
The Custom Work & Designer Inventory. Wick & Greene does most of its custom work (other than platinum) in-house. The jewelers start from scratch with waxes and/or CAD/CAM and follow the manufacturing process through to the finished pieces.
Two of the Greenes are award-winning designers, Michael Greene and Eva-Michelle Greene. Earlier this year, Eva-Michelle was a finalist in the Palladium Design Competition with two pieces and Michael has a coveted DeBeers' Diamonds Today Award for a custom piece.
The Greenes at Eva-Michelle's GIA graduation. From left: Michael, Eva-Michelle, Eva, and Lucia Greene.
Wick and Greene's custom designs are sprinkled throughout the showcases, along with branded jewelry. Brands they offer include: Forevermark, Kwiat, Hearts on Fire, Lazare, A. Jaffe, Marco Bicego, Ippolita, Galatea, Masriera, Faberge, Mikimoto, Bulova Accutron, Ball Watch, Michele Watch, and William Henry Knives.
The People. Wick and Greene's entire staff of 15 sell, except for the bookkeeper. "Even our shop manager sells when necessary," says Greene. "We have five people that only do sales. We have three GG's, including two American Gem Society Certified Gemologist Appraisers.”
And how do they prepare for all the selling? "We do sales training every week with one of our team or outside trainers. We keep fresh by knowing our stock. We're fortunate to work with great people in industry with people who care a lot about us and our success."
Of the 15 people behind the counters in Wick & Greene, four are family members. Eva-Michelle works with both her parents, Michael and Eva Greene. "The fourth is my grandmother, Lucia," she said. "She still comes in every day. She's 84 and she's a delight to have around. She knows so many people. She remembers when pieces were originally made. Customers love to visit with her. She's a town icon."
Grandma Lucia Greene, with a sales associate’s baby. Below, much of the staff in front of the store.
The Store. The Wick & Greene sales floor occupies about 8,000 of 12,000 total square feet. One recent addition to the store is a 'silver store' within Wick & Greene. "We grouped Ippolita, Metalsmiths, and Pandora together in one room, our Silver Store," says Greene. "When people come in for a fresh, trendy look, that's where they go."
Wick & Greene's new silver store.
The Outreach. Wick & Greene uses a combination of traditional and new media to reach their customers. "We still do radio and TV, but no longer newspaper. It's working well. We do social media on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest."
While many find social media hard to track, Greene says that sales relating to Facebook are easy to follow. "We have customers come in and say, 'We saw it on Facebook and want to buy it,'" she said. She notes that the store's 700+ have grown organically. "We haven't yet spent much money on Facebook advertising." Wick & Greene's advertising is both in-house with the Greenes and out-of-house using a local agency, the Wizard of Ads.
From the store's Facebook page: a newly-engaged couple.
Another big part of the company's outreach into the community is philanthropy. "Giving away jewelry items to local charities to help them raise money is a big part of how we connect."
And the Landmark Wick & Greene Clock. From 'about' on the Wick & Greene website: In 1986, Wick and Greene moved locations from the small shop on Wall Street into a beautiful 1920s Art Deco building on Patton Avenue. The location was a gasoline station that Paul, Lucia, and Michael personally renovated to create the perfect setting for the fine jewelry store that is Wick and Greene. Always with a flair for the fantastic, they restored a 1920s Seth Thomas Street Clock and placed it in front of the store. The clock is one of Asheville’s most recognizable landmarks. At the top of the page and below is a Facebook photo featuring Michael Greene and a tiny customer. From the post here: This little guy came into the store asking for "that Greene man" to show him the clock! Michael explained all about clocks to him!
Eva-Michelle Greene started her jewelry training early. She never had a baby sitter, she'd come to work and hang out with the bench jewelers as long as her homework was done. "I'd play in my 'sandbox,' this great building containing gorgeous rocks. I'd play with the bench jewelers, catching things on fire," she said with a smile. She answered her first business phone call at four and had her first sale at seven. "When I had time off, I was always here. I graduated from college knowing I wanted to work in jewelry."
And her first sale? A three-year-old friend came in with her dad. "It started out as a silver frame," said Greene. "I sold them a $25,000 add on, a five carat emerald ring with diamond side stones for Mothers’ Day. That's a great sale for anyone of any age.
"I've always loved what we do," said Greene. "I knew I'd be back here one day. My grandfather passed away two years ago. At his funeral, I saw what impact he'd had on our community. More than 1,000 people attended. That was the final deciding factor for me—to work where I could have that impact. It's an added bonus that I get to do it in something fun."
When asked about the hardest part of her job, Greene says, "I want everything I touch. There's nothing here that's not exceedingly beautiful. It's a good problem to have."