Houston retailer I W Marks Jewelers plans to remodel after nearly 45 years in business

I W Marks Jewelers has been owned and operated in Houston by the exact family for practically 45 yrs. And it is ready for a refresh.

Diane and Irv Marks introduced the small business in 1978 in a small 500-sq.-foot area. As business enterprise grew in excess of the several years, so did the showroom. When Irv died in 2008, the couple’s son Brad Marks took in excess of the enterprise. Right now, Brad and his wife, Joanna, personal the store that spreads across 7,500 square feet at 3841 Bellaire Blvd.

“I experienced the prospect to function with my father and find out from him for a very good 10 decades ahead of he started out to consider a phase back,” Brad said. “So I uncovered a great deal of beneficial information and satisfied a lot of folks that, you know, we still have associations with in the small business now.”

Brad’s father taught him that a business have to evolve and transform. That has led Brad to make options for a remodel. He believes rebranding with a model-new showroom and focusing on prime-high quality jewelry and diamonds will help the store grow in the yrs ahead.

He hopes to start out the transforming function all-around April and complete it all around September.

The new showroom will be sophisticated and centered on consumers, he claimed. It will involve seating parts during. There will also be a private viewing space for the purchaser who wants much more privateness when hunting at items.

Contrary to at regular retail outlets, clients and salespeople will stand on the similar facet of a jewellery circumstance, which Brad said will set them much more as equals: He needs the procedure to experience far more like demonstrating jewelry to buddies than providing.

Brad thinks adhering to main values like honesty has stored the organization heading for so prolonged. He explained the workers will in no way existing a diamond as a larger high quality to make a sale. At times getting trustworthy about a diamond’s excellent indicates not producing a sale, and he stated that is Alright. Lying to a customer can result in them to hardly ever come again.

“They may well not at any time recognize it. It could not ever arrive again to bite you, but we do not lie to prospects,” Brad mentioned. “We’re going to make guaranteed that we give them all the points and enable them make the determination.”

Great enterprise, he mentioned, boils down to creating interactions that lead to repeat buyers. He finds very pleased moments a longtime consumer bringing their son in to pick an engagement ring. He mentioned the keep thrives off term-of-mouth tips.

Like quite a few companies, jewelry retail has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pricing of selected items has drastically elevated. Some watches are priced bigger than ever, and diamonds increase much more costly by the week. Brad stated the pandemic has required a lot of companies to choose a really hard glimpse at how they function and has pushed some toward major improvements. He believes the rework is not a gamble but a little something that will only develop the store.

The keep has around 16 entire-time staff, like one who was additional through the very last 6 months. Even though it did close for about a month for the duration of the pandemic, it has continued to serve the Houston industry, escalating by 15 per cent from 2020 to 2021. It was privileged to stay clear of any layoffs.

Brad is working to get allowing and is building final ideas. The keep will be open up for the duration of the get the job done, but selected sections will close in the course of the get the job done.

To get ready, I W Marks has been obtaining a liquidation occasion to promote some its fewer pertinent and less existing stock to construct a much more streamlined stock. The sale is getting evaluated weekly.

As a lot of persons nowadays would fairly store from the comfort and ease of their households, the retail outlet is making an on line business enterprise. But Brad claimed he will constantly give a brick-and-mortar keep for the reason that coming in and touching and holding jewellery provides a much more passionate expertise for some.

Engagement and bridal sets are a massive aspect of the business. There are watches and trend jewellery as effectively. I W Marks Jewelers is a entire-support jeweler that offers appraisals and repairs. Four jewelers aim fully on personalized orders.

Brad returns to his roots when looking at how the retail outlet has lasted for almost 4 and a half decades.

“I have to give all the credit score to my mom and father,” he stated. “You know, they created a business enterprise on have faith in and integrity, and quality and worth … And I just kind of took the torch and (am) moving on and evolving to what I consider we need to have to be.”

To master a lot more, go to www.iwmarks.com.

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