Unique approach to jewelry retailing
By Michelle Graff http://www.nationaljeweler.com
These days, the retailers that are successful are those selling an experience, not just peddling merchandise propped up on a shelf.
Apple, Sephora and Lululemon are credited with creating some of the best experiences available to consumers today, and their innovative approach to shopping has made other chains take notice. Just ask J.C. Penney. The chain has installed Sephora boutiques inside hundreds of its department stores nationwide and, earlier this year, snagged the architect of Apple’s retail division as its new chief executive officer.
Perhaps one day La Porte Jewelers, which opened its doors on May 7, will find itself mentioned among brands such as these, singled out for its unique approach to jewelry retailing.
“We want to bring the experience back into shopping,” Vice President of Operations Kim Williams said. “Customer service, as a whole, just kind of lacks. People don’t feel special anymore.”
To prove her point, she contrasts the experience of a woman buying a wedding dress with that of her partner shopping for the engagement ring.
When a woman goes looking for that perfect gown to wear on her big day, she brings along her mom, female relatives and friends, and they make a day of it. They are served a few flutes of champagne, try on dozens of dresses and enjoy the experience.
For the man entering the jewelry store it’s not nearly as enjoyable. His choices are much more limited and he oftentimes feels pressured into buying.
That’s what La Porte Jewelers is aiming to change by taking an alternate approach to traditional jewelry retailing. “We just don’t want people to feel that pressure sale,” Williams said.
Located in Lancaster, Pa., La Porte Jewelers is the first retail location opened by Edward J. & Co. Inc., a jewelry design company that caters to the private sector and a few select high-end clients.
The store has six keyless-entry showcases suspended from the ceiling that customers can approach from any angle, as well as two showcases that jut out of the wall. It doesn’t have any of the long showcases that usually line the sales floor of jewelry stores, helping it avoid that “cattle chute” style that can make customers feel penned in and restricted, she said.
Inside the showcases, the jewelry isn’t displayed on the traditional forms but is draped around suitcases, candelabras, bookends and, in one case dedicated to men’s jewelry, a set of vintage golf clubs and a globe.
“It’s more creative. It’s more inspiring,” she said. “You actually feel like you’re looking at artwork. It captures your imagination.”
La Porte Jewelers also has a small art gallery attached, sectioned off from the rest of the store by double French doors and complete with a fully stocked bar. Each month, La Porte brings in a new local artist, and their work remains on display there for four weeks.
The next month, those pieces circulate out and a new artist is welcomed into the store. It’s an excellent way to connect with the community, especially during Lancaster’s “First Fridays,” the town’s once-a-month celebration of the arts aimed to bring people into the downtown area.
“We’ve had a really great turnout the past couple of First Fridays,” Williams said. “We’ve had a couple hundred people showing up. We want people to come in here and not feel like they’re pressured to buy something.”
Instead, they simply ask that visitors look around, enjoy and be inspired.
At this point, La Porte Jewelers has been open only four short months. The store, though, is not lacking for ideas about how it wants to move forward and position itself within this community, which is located in south central Pennsylvania, not terribly far from Baltimore, Philadelphia or Washington, D.C.
Future plans call for the store to expand its roster of events. A men’s sports night or cards night in the gallery area, a ladies’ night, and a wine and cheese soiree for couples are just a few of the possibilities.
“We’re just on the verge of really letting the community know that we’re not just a store that’s open from 10 to 6,” Williams said. “We want to bring in the community, educate them and entertain them.”
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