At the recent conference of the Independent Jewelers Organization (IJO) a Success Stories: How did we get here? panel discussion was presented. “IJO regularly polls its members to find what subjects they would like as seminars and discussions at our shows, and quite frequently their response is, ‘I want to hear from the successful stores and how they got to where they are!’” said IJO President & CEO Jeff Roberts. “We put together a group of five stores who shared their store history, insights, and tips to help attendees achieve success.”
One participant was Joel Wiland from J David Jewelry in Broken Arrow and Tulsa, OK: “Since joining IJO over 22 years ago we have not missed a single show. When we joined in the spring of 2000, we were a small ‘mom and pop’ store with my wife, one employee, and me. It didn’t happen overnight, but with a lot of hard work and mentorship through incredible relationships that were formed by being a part of IJO, we now have 3 stores with a team of 30. We have been very blessed over the years and attribute a big part of it to our membership in IJO.
“The year before we joined IJO we did $228k in sales. We were in a strip center and our store was 400 square feet. We joined IJO in the spring of 2000 and by 2003 we were in a 4000 square foot building that we owned and had broken through the million-dollar mark. We hit 1.3 million – 600% growth – in those few years! And the growth continues to this day.”
Jeff Hampton from State Street Jewelers in Geneva, IL also participated and has been a strong IJO advocate for almost 40 years: “We bought Anderson Jewelers in 1985 and in the first year did $235,000 in sales. The store was already an IJO member, and we had no clue what that entailed, but we went to our first show. The next year we reached $325,000 and hit $1 million in the mid-90s. There were several turning points in our IJO history – one when we went from $450,000 to $700,000 and then from $700,000 to a million, and every step we took to reach those goals was listed right on the IJO website. The information was there for the taking.
“We’ve enjoyed exponential growth over the years and are now above the $7 million mark. I know there are other groups out there, but IJO is the reason we’ve had such huge success. I’m happy to talk to anyone about my experience and I welcome phone calls. My cell number is 630-542-9130.”
Gary & Carrie Mueller were a small, 900-square-foot ‘mom and pop’ store in Lindstrom, MN when they attended an IJO show in San Antonio as guests in 2014 to learn just what IJO could do for them. Since that time, they’ve more than quadrupled their sales and have moved to a 3,000-square-foot space in Chisago City [MN] with a staff of five. Gary reported: “The relationships we’ve built and the knowledge we’ve gained in the IJO family are what have given us the confidence to grow. The help from the retailers, vendors and IJO staff has made the biggest difference in our rapid rise, and we wouldn’t be where we are now without that help. We look forward to continuing this upward spiral, and also being there to help other IJO members achieve their goals.”
And finally, from Brian Toone at Jewelry Design Center in Spokane & Kennewick, WA: “We went to our first IJO show in 1998. Our store was 2,200-square-feet in a strip center. By 2002, four years later, we had more than doubled our volume and expanded to 4,900-square-feet. Today we have three stores including a 17,000-square-foot and two 6,000-square-foot stores. We joined IJO for the discounts and free trips, but soon found that the value was in the people, ideas, and passion of IJO. IJO’s mission is to grow the independent jeweler and they live it.”
IJO’s next conference will be at the Orlando Marriott World Center Resort March 4 – 7, 2023 and this panel will be re-presented – unopposed – at the Saturday morning kick-off breakfast. For information on membership in the Independent Jewelers Organization call their Director of Member Services, Penny Palmer, at 800-624-9252.
