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Cover
Island Dazzle
Designer and custom jewelry are wearable art at Lily & Co. on Sanibel Island, Florida.
By Joyce Kauf
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We do everything we can — in design, display and merchandise — not to be a traditional jewelry store,” says Dan Schuyler, explaining the retail philosophy behind Lily & Co., the gallery he owns along with Karen Bell, his business partner. Located on picturesque Sanibel Island, Florida, the store specializes in “wearable art, table art and wall art,” including designer and custom jewelry. While Schuyler admits that owning a store is “every jeweler’s dream,” it was circumstances rather than strategic planning that set things in motion. A jeweler in Baltimore, Maryland, Schuyler and his wife Sharon owned a vacation home in Sanibel. They were there on 9/11 and the events of the day convinced them to move there permanently. Schuyler went to work for a local jeweler. He had known Bell, a resident of the island for almost 25 years, who was a successful realtor selling luxury properties. After closing a major sale, Bell decided to “reward” herself. She came to Schuyler intending to buy a watch, but he convinced her to purchase 4-carat total weight diamond solitaire earrings.
Over a cup of coffee, Bell asked her friend if he wanted to open a jewelry store with her as his partner. They purchased the building, formerly a bank, one week later. Built in 1915, the building originally housed the First Baptist Church and a school for African Americans and is listed on the state’s National Register of Historic Places and in the book, Florida Black Heritage Trail. The store is named for Lily, Bell’s labradoodle, which is a cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle, and she appears on all store advertising. The “Co.” is for Gracie and Angel, Schuyler’s Labrador retrievers. A calla lily was substituted for an ampersand to reflect the island setting.
Located off the west coast of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico, Sanibel Island is a popular tourist destination. Many people own vacation homes in this affluent community known for its natural beauty, beaches and bike paths. In fact, Schuyler and Bell’s first customer was a woman who rode by on her bike and bought $32,000 worth of jewelry. “I didn’t even have the register set up,” Schuyler recalls. “I had to write the receipt on a piece of paper.” It was a good omen; Lily & Co. has received a number of awards, including most recently, JCK’s 2015 “Top 50 Designer Retailer.”
The “nontraditional” experience begins even before customers enter the 2,800-square-foot store. Bell oversees the interior and exterior decor. A proponent of feng shui, the Chinese system of creating harmony in the environment, she has filled the parking lot with “tons of flowers.” Customers enter to the aroma of sage candles and a welcome from the dogs, who have been trained to greet customers. The interior is painted in muted tones of shell and off-white to create a relaxing ambience. Tortoiseshell lighting fixtures suspended from the ceiling bathe the store in soft light.
“We are a gallery that goes around the world,” explains Schuyler, noting the global sources for their distinctive merchandise. “Our customers never see average jewelry at our store,” he points out. Top designers are Guhran, Beny Sofer, Charles Krypell, S&R Designs and Deny Wong. Popular items also include Lily’s Sea Life collection of diamond palm trees and flip-flop pendants and Lily’s K9 collection of diamond and gold paw print and bone pendants.
Diamonds are strong sellers as are colored gemstones in the island colors of blue, green and sea-foam, such as blue topaz, paraiba, tourmaline and turquoise. Pendants and earrings, often in combination, sell well. Schuyler notes that yellow gold is making a “strong comeback.” However, bridal is not a strong seller. “Sanibel is a honeymoon destination. We do better with anniversary gifts,” he points out.
Schuyler often selects local vendors for artwork because people want to take a part of the island home with them. His criteria for selecting jewelry vendors are the unique designs and craftsmanship. “It’s all about relationships,” Schuyler stresses. Jewelry, displayed in custom cases, is merchandised by designer. “Each gets an equal amount of real estate,” says Schuyler.
“Relationships are at the heart of what we do,” says Schulyer, explaining that his selling philosophy is contrary to the hard sell. Schuyler, who holds training sessions with his staff every morning, insists that they greet customers with three open-ended questions to start a conversation. These questions could range from “Where are you from?” to “What fun things are you doing on your vacation?” Schuyler is emphatic that this is the way to create trust, which “increases closing the sale by 50 percent.”
Schuyler also advocates team selling. If a sales associate is not connecting with the customer, she brings over another associate to help. “Once you have made that connection then you can begin ‘fab selling’ — the features, advantages and benefits.” As proof of the success of his selling technique, Schuyler points out they never discount nor have they ever held a sale.
“People come in and sit on the floor and play with the dogs. Everyone goes home with something — a dog bowl or a Frisbee,” says Schuyler, adding. “Everything has our name on it.”
“Whether a customer spends $25 or $25,000, we have something in every category. Except for the basics — customers can go home to buy that. We want our customers to be dazzled,” says Schuyler.Article from the Rapaport Magazine - October 2015. To subscribe click here.
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