Retail profile

Diamond jewelry and dinosaur eggs on display in the same store? That’s exactly what you’ll find at Designing Jewelers in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
   “I really like to think out of the box,” explains Alan (Al) Louis, who owns the shop along with his wife, Brenda. “We have a few crazy things here,” he continues, “but they all contribute to our inviting ambience that takes the anxiety away from buying fine jewelry.”
   Al began his career in the early 1970s at family-owned Stein’s Jewelers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, working with a cast of characters he compares to a “sitcom.” But he learned the ropes and decided to strike out on his own, selling diamonds on the road. “It lasted about six months,” he says. “I thought it would be so easy, but it turned out to be a career milestone.”
   He opened an “everything store” in 1983, when the area was “still pretty rough.” It became Designing Jewelers in 1993.

Uncovering treasures
Brenda also had a jewelry background, starting out in 1984 in Minnesota. When she arrived for her interview at the store in 2000, she recalls, “it was so uninviting that I walked past it twice before I could go in.” But she took the job; she and Al first became a team, and later husband and wife.
   The store she was so reluctant to enter was in a building that dated from 1881. Reflecting the city’s growth from a steamboat stop on the Mississippi River to a thriving downtown center today, it has gone from a dry goods store, to seven different grocery stores, to a hamburger joint.
   When Al decided to replace the original ceiling, he did not anticipate a major renovation of the 1,200 square feet of selling space. But that work revealed a treasure trove.
   “In the process, we discovered three dropped ceilings and the original tin vaulted ceiling. We tore down five layers of walls to find the original brick. And in addition to revealing the arches, there was a hidden room we didn’t even know existed,” he recalls. He installed pipes across the ceiling to add an industrial feel, but the mahogany-toned cases support the vintage vibe.
   Lighting was the biggest challenge. Determined to maintain the store’s historical feel, he installed pendant lighting rather than the LED lighting that is better for viewing diamonds. “I sell from the doorstep,” says Al, who often takes customers outside so they can fully appreciate the beauty of a particular stone.
   That customers are so willing to take a second look at their diamonds is a testament to the Louises’ dedication to their customers. “Our customer service really differentiates us in the market. There is a very warm feeling as soon as you enter,” explains Brenda, whom Al credits with inspiring his vision of a “different way” of doing things.
   “It is all about establishing relationships,” he adds, noting that sometimes the store feels like a coffee shop, with people stopping by to chat. “We never have a sale, because we give the sale price every day. And whether it’s a $50,000 diamond ring or a battery change for a watch, they get the same service.”
   Brenda identifies their target customer as someone looking for “unique and special jewelry.” Custom design — plus repurposing of existing jewelry — accounts for the largest part of their business, a service they promote as “Exactly for YOU” on their website.
   “We also can’t keep vintage in the case, especially for younger brides who want the old piece and not a reproduction,” she says.
   Top vendors include DIVINA Creations and E.M Trading for loose diamonds, Caro 74 and Valina for bridal jewelry, and Pancis Gems for colored diamonds.

Giving back
“The community supported us and got us to where we are today,” says Al, who takes part in over 20 community activities each year. The Louises donate custom rings for local events, and while they do not have any trunk shows or hold in-store promotions, they have hosted a Christmas-Hanukkah sing-along for the past 21 years, complete with holiday hats, a rabbi, live music and Bloody Marys. Brenda admits that selling takes a back seat on the day of the holiday celebration.
   Giving back to the community and acts of kindness remain integral to the relationships that the Louises have fostered with their customers and community. Al is still inspired by one of his mentors, a businessman and Holocaust survivor who would buy gifts for his family, but would occasionally tell the store owner that he needed another “small” gift. After the man died, his widow gave Al a tray filled with about 300 pieces of jewelry.
   “He never needed those gifts — he just wanted to help keep me in business,” says Al.

Image: Designing Jewelers

Article from the Rapaport Magazine - January 2018. To subscribe click here.