Slightly more than 25 miles apart, yet worlds away in ambience, are New York City’s Bowery on the Lower East Side and the tony Bergen County, New Jersey, town of Wyckoff. But that’s the trek the Hartgers family made 24 years ago, closing their original store in New York and relocating to a sumptuous villa-like building smack in the middle of Bergen County.
Today, the four brothers in Hartgers Jewelers’ fourth generation — Jack, David, Greg and Bobby — run the business. Each has his own area of specialty, but all are involved in the buying and all put in time behind the counter. The dynasty began with their great-grandfather, who was a diamond setter in Holland. He immigrated to the U.S. in the early part of the twentieth century and opened his business of cutting and supplying diamonds to many of his neighboring jewelers, including Tiffany & Co. At that time, the Bowery was the hub of the jewelry district; the emigration uptown to 47th Street began a few decades later.
While the initial focus of the business was on loose diamonds, Hartgers began selling finished jewelry and custom pieces as well. In recent years, luxury men’s watches have become a big part of the company’s sales.
The Wyckoff property, which includes a freestanding store of about 4,000 square feet plus another smaller building offered as a rental, is on one of the town’s major thoroughfares. The store itself is eye-catching. Designed by family friend Fritz Krieger loosely in the style of Country French, it is a rambling collection of attached buildings of pale-colored stucco and stone. The numerous floor-to-ceiling paned windows are shaded by awnings and framed with shutters. At the center, the two-sided entrance is crowned by a large cupola with a clock. The interior is spacious, with lots of natural light. Showcases are pale wood, the walls are ivory and cases are lined in a light taupe. The store has a large entry section, dominated by branded watches and two smaller levels divided by type of merchandise. On the right side of the store is the silver collection; on the back, left-hand wall are bridal rings, high-end diamonds and gemstones.
Brands
David laughs that his family was the only one to have a David Yurman jewelry collection in their store on the Bowery. Today, Yurman’s silver jewelry collection occupies a prominent part of Hartgers’ retail space, along with stylish assortments from John Hardy and Judith Ripka. During the holiday period in early December, the retailer stages trunk shows featuring these and other designers.
Other brands include Mikimoto, Roberto Coin and Aaron Basha, plus a Who’s Who of the world’s top watch brands, such as Cartier, Ebel, Tag Heuer, Rolex, Chopard, Patek Philippe and Breitling. It was only after the store relocated to New Jersey that the Hartgers brothers began dabbling in the watch business, eventually turning some of their upscale customers into collectors of these brands. Interestingly, in today’s challenging jewelry market, male watch collectors are the customers doing the most buying, contributing a substantial portion to Hartgers’ annual revenue. “We have lists of clients waiting for limited-edition watches,” says David. “They are willing to wait as long as they have to for the piece to be delivered; we call them when it comes in.”
Diamond Source
Of course, with a reputation as a top-level diamond source, Hartgers does sell its share of large diamonds, including some fancy colors. For example, one recent sale was a ring set with a large oval-cut yellow diamond flanked by two white trapeze cuts. David says his store’s niche has always been diamond “upgrades,” where a woman receives a larger-size diamond as a gift for a significant birthday or anniversary.
Anniversary rings and diamond wedding bands are another strong category, many of which are made on the premises. Hartgers’ engagement ring business has fallen off somewhat, probably because of the growing range of online sources for diamonds, according to David. While the retailer offers its customers a range of sizes, cuts and qualities, the majority of the diamonds sold are midrange qualities, such as G to H color and VS to SI clarity. All stones come with certificates, most often from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
Classics Sell Best
In nonbridal jewelry, the local community has a taste for classic items rather than trendy fashion styles. Best-sellers include diamond solitaire earrings, line bracelets and pavé hoop earrings. For those customers wanting more unusual designs, silver-and-colored gemstone designs from Italian and American designers are favorites.
In general, advertising and promotion are not overly aggressive; most of Hartgers’ buzz is created through word of mouth, says David, although the jeweler did do some billboard ads in 2009. As in many small communities, interaction with and support of local groups are significant activities for the retailer. Hartgers regularly donates prizes for local charities and community groups and supports other causes such as Oasis, a haven for abused women and children.
One of the highlights of the year is the jeweler’s Oktoberfest celebration. For this event, the retailer pitches a tent on the store’s grounds, serves up a menu of bratwurst and beer and shows off the latest creations from international watch brands. Although the celebration is primarily aimed at male customers, the casual, boisterous party attracts both male and female shoppers, who can either purchase a watch at the time or gather ideas for holiday gifts.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - May 2010. To subscribe click here.