Prestige Promenade pearls and sweets
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/252925
42 W W W.thejeWelrybook.CoM What is the type of merchandise mix and designers you carry in engagement and wedding rings? SQ:"We carry the more classic and timeless looks of Simon G, Artistry, Infinity Line, Platinum Plus, WR Designs and Novell Designs. For the ultra contemporary commitment rings of Gravure and the one-of-a-kind and alternative bridal styles of Todd Reed, Brian Sholdt and Sylva & Cie. We also custom design and produce approximately 50% of our engagement rings. The capability to customize or design a bespoke ring is and always has been an important aspect of our business. The brides are particularly fond of the idea of having the only one of its kind on their finger. Has your business changed over the past five years with polished rough and rose cuts, natural colored diamonds and colored gemstones such as sapphires and emeralds trending? SQ: "We carry Todd Reed who pioneered the way for alternative bridal, first with his rough and raw cut diamonds and then his exclusive polished roughs and rose cuts surrounded by brilliants in various metals. But other than that our business really hasn't changed. 10% or so of our bridal customers have always wanted either colored center stones; antique, different metal colors or combinations. We used to just refer to it as something unique or different but the jewelry industry has created a category and named it—alternative bridal." Do you have a selection of antique bridal rings and if so from which era and which are the most popular? SQ: "We have a small estate department—a selection of vintage bridal. We do particularly well with the early 20th century rings such as platinum over 18K gold Edwardian styles, the platinum Art Deco rings and 40's Retro looks. What was your most successful event you every held in your store? SQ: "We had a bride-to-be receive the news her wedding location was cancelled while picking up her wedding ring. We offered our store as an alternative and hosted a beautiful wedding. We have had countless proposals at our counters. I think it is such an inviting atmosphere people feel comfortable and very much at ease." What do you consider your most effective events, which helped promote your bridal business? SQ: "Our wedding ring trunk shows. We invite our vendors to bring their lines to our stores and send out an invitation to all of our engagement ring customers. It works!" How do you market to your customers? SQ: "We do as much as we can in as many different areas as possible including social media, traditional advertising, maintaining the highest ratings on Yelp. Creating a positive image in a market as large as Chicago is very difficult. Doing it with a lim- ited budget makes it almost impossible. We post on Pinterest, Instagram, and Face Book almost daily. We advertise on television for sporting events and electronic billboards across our area. We maintain and comment on both positive and nega- tive search commentary. Marketing remains mostly a mystery to me, even as I re- ceive compliments on how we do it." s t e v e q u i c k r e ta i l p r o f i l e