CityView Magazine

40 | November/December 2017 "One of the successes there, was that we sold gold by the gram, as opposed to most of the major retailers who were selling them by the piece," Brunais said. "When (customers) start weighing a piece they bought in the mall and comparing it to a piece they bought from us for far less, they recognize the real value." e shop's jewelry became so popular that it went from being sold out of a cigar box to being sold out of a small back room. Eventually, it became the core of the business, prompting Phillips to change the shop's name from Rhudy's to Rhudy's Jewelry Showroom. Aer it committed to selling jewelry, Rhudy's added related services, including jewelry repair, setting stones and engraving. e shop began manufacturing its own jewelry designs as well as doing custom work. "It just has grown and grown ever since," Brunais said. "I think a lot of that was because Mr. Phillips was a terrific P.R. person. He liked people. It wasn't about the money for him. Money wasn't what drove him. He didn't have a house at the beach, he didn't gamble, he didn't chase women. It was all about taking care of the people. He was very service-oriented. We try to operate the same way today as we did then." Phillips had his values instilled in him, while growing up on a farm in Virginia, before the military brought him to Fayetteville. ose values, Brunais believes, continue to be reflected in the way the business pays attention to customers' needs to this day. Because Rhudy's is so focused on its customers, the staff is well attuned to their buying habits. Brunais says most of the shop's regular customers are women. But the customers who tend to show up during the biggest shopping periods – just before Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas – are men. Typically, they come in at the last minute. Rhudy's staff is there to help them. e commitment to customer service and customer relationships has paid off in customer loyalty. Some customers have relied on Rhudy's for decades. "Once someone is a customer of ours, they usually stay with us," Brunais said. "We have people who send us jewelry from all over the country. Jewelry has memories. It is very important to people. 'is is my mother's ring,' 'my grandmother's ring.' ey don't want just anyone working on them." ese one-on-one relationships are one reason why Brunais says that Rhudy's isn't worried about losing customers to online shops. According to Forbes magazine, online jewelry sales make up only 4 to 5 percent of the Rhudy's sells more than jewelry Fine-tuning design work Donna Fonke

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