Read the article - Kelly Mitchell Jewelry

AUGUST 2014 / THE MAGAZINE FOR THE AMERICAN JEWELRY STORE OWNER
BIG COOL NO. 1
GROGAN
JEWELERS
SMALL COOL NO. 1
ALCHEMY
SMALL COOL NO. 2
KELLY
MITCHELL
SMALL COOL NO. 3
BIG COOL NO. 2
G. THRAPP
JEWELERS
BIG COOL NO. 3
MERVIS
DIAMOND
IMPORTERS
BIG COOL NO. 4
BRUNO
FINE JEWELERS
SMALL COOL NO. 4
GEM JEWELRY
BOUTIQUE
SMALL COOL NO. 5
ARTFUL EYE
JEWELRY
DESIGN CENTER
FELDMAR WATCH
COMPANY
BIG COOL NO. 5
THE WEDDING
RING SHOP
Jay Klos of Grogan
Jewelers and Laura
Mapes and David Iler
of Alchemy
BIG COOL
NO. 1
GROGAN
JEWELERS
BIG COOL NO. 2
G. THRAPP
JEWELERS
BIG COOL NO. 3
MERVIS DIAMOND
IMPORTERS
BIG COOL NO. 4
FELDMAR WATCH
COMPANY
BIG COOL NO. 5
THE WEDDING
RING SHOP
OOL
SMALL C
NO. 1 ALCHEMY
SMALL COOL NO. 2
KELLY
MITCHELL
SMALL COOL NO. 3
BRUNO FINE
JEWELERS
SMALL COOL NO. 4
GEM JEWELRY
BOUTIQUE
SMALL COOL NO. 5
ARTFUL EYE JEWELRY
DESIGN CENTER
AU GU ST 2 0 14 | I N STO R E M AG .CO M 57
SECOND
PLACE
SMALL COOL DIVISION
OWNER
KELLY MITCHELL
KELLY
MITCHELL
“
QUICK
FACTS
LOCATION: Dallas, TX | OWNERS: Kelly Mitchell, Steve Dawkins | URL: kellymitchelljewelry.com | FOUNDED:
1994 | OPENED FEATURED LOCATION: 2013 | LAST RENOVATED: 2013 | COST OF BUILDOUT: $590,000 | AREA:
2,600 square feet (1,700 showroom, 700 office, 200 shop) | EMPLOYEES: 2 full time; 4 part time | TOP
BRANDS: Bayco, Siera, ARA, Zorab | ONLINE PRESENCE: 123 likes on Facebook; 5 stars on Yelp; Alexa global
rank: 4.81 million
The outside looks like a pub, and the inside looks like a chocolate shop,”
Kelly Mitchell says of her namesake store. “Unless you don’t like to drink
or eat chocolate, one of those should make you want to come in.”
She’s not joking. The table in the center of her
enchanting store was inspired by a visit to a Godiva
STORY BY
retail outlet, where a glass-enclosed table held slabs
BY JOSH
of fudge sitting on elegant marble. “They had to access it by
WIMMER
cutting out a drawer and pulling out the piece of fudge that you
wanted,” Mitchell says. “And I remarked to the person
I was with: ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you were getting in
there to show somebody a watch or a diamond?’”
Mitchell has hawked jewelry since her teens, when
she earned a gold bracelet for convincing numerous
people to attend a family acquaintance’s gold chain parties. She liked the pieces — but it was more about the
challenge of getting people to come. She worked for a
AU GU ST 2 0 14 | I N STO R E M AG .CO M 83
SMALL COOL NO. 2 | KELLY MITCHELL
Check out a video
and Q&A with Kelly Mitchell at:
instoremag.com/acs2014
ONLINE EXTRA:
®
chain jewelry store while attending college in Kalama- she says. “It seemed like the best jewelry stores — you
zoo, MI, and for supplier Nova Stylings after graduat- always look at yourself like, ‘Am I dressed well enough
ing. Then a South African diamond company hired her to go in there?’ It seemed like you always had to be a
to sell loose stones to private clients all over the globe. serious player to go look at the most beautiful things on
In 1994 she started her own private practice, Rede Dia- earth.”
mond, serving a similar clientele.
So when Mitchell finally built her dream store, she
“I’m not gonna lie,” she says. “That was a blast. I got aimed for a different feel. “It looks like there should be
to see so many glimpses of so many people’s lives in so edibles in the cases,” she says.
many different countries. It was really an amazing time,
Her store is approachable but also radiates luxury.
because you could still kind of get around
The warm browns of the wood floor and
with a suitcase full of loose stones.”
cases combine with the gold-hued walls
But insurers gradually became more
and pressed ceiling to give it an undenitimid about covering that kind of expeably tasteful energy. Fresh, pretty flowdition, and Mitchell had grown weary of
ers accent the showroom. Mirrors and
spending days away from home. In 2009,
hanging cases dot the walls.
she started her own retail operation out
“And if you don’t want to be messed
of another jeweler’s space in Dallas, and
with, you can come right in and sit down
in 2012 began looking for her own locaat the bar,” Mitchell says. Her boyfriend
tion.
and co-owner, Steve Dawkins, a real esKELLY MITCHELL
She knew what she didn’t want. “I
tate executive, insisted on the bar.
never liked the jewelry stores I would
He also helped inspire the arrangewalk into. I just wasn’t comfortable,”
ment of the merchandise — cases and
IT LOOKS LIKE
THERE SHOULD
BE EDIBLES
IN THE CASES.”
84 I N STO R EMAG .COM AU GUST 2 014
STRONG PROMO
STORE-BRANDED
CHOCOLATES High-end
treats were on Mitchell’s
mind from day one.
SMALL COOL NO. 2 | KELLY MITCHELL
displays are organized by “life events.”
“He said, ‘What is it in your store that you could do
to help me if I was coming in to try to shop?’” Mitchell
says. He meant that for men especially, the layout of a
jewelry store could be ... non-intuitive.
That was familiar territory for Mitchell, who’d spent
the jet-setting early part of her career essentially acting as a personal shopper for upscale middle-aged
men without the time or knowledge to purchase gifts
for their partners. She set up “collections” around the
store: Engagement & Anniversary, Black Tie, Art & Investment, Everyday Wear and others.
“Usually people give us a clue what they’re looking
for, but you can figure out the layout pretty quickly,” she
says. “They get it.”
Her price points start around $200 and range up to
half a million for some one-of-a-kind pieces clients can
see in the private room. Mitchell looks for designs that
match the unique sensibility of the space.
“There are lots and lots
of fabulous, wonderful
stores in this market,” she
says. Dallasites are wellheeled and sophisticated.
“We had to have a niche
of beautiful, comfortable,
ready-to-wear, one-of-akind pieces that people
are going to notice even
if they’ve traveled all over
the world.” (She does a lot
of custom work, too.)
And you have to have a store they notice.
That’s been no problem.
“Ninety percent of the people who walk in just go,
‘This is a beautiful store!’” Mitchell says, just a touch
abashedly. “I hate to say it, but it’s such a nice compliment!”
TRY THIS
“BUSY PEOPLE DON’T
HAVE TIME to come
walking through your
doors to snag as new
business,” Mitchell says.
“Everyone should be
sending out pictures
to clients when they
see pieces that fit their
clients or calling them
to send a piece into their
office to preview, to keep
business rolling. Your
shipping insurance goes
up, but people like to feel
special and open a box
that was sent just for
them to consider.”
SHOPTALK
“IF SOMEONE IS HAVING A HARD TIME with
someone they are to
ask out loud if a certain
client’s earrings are completed. Which means, ‘all
hands on deck. I’m with
a crazy person.’” — Kelly
Mitchell
PLAYLIST
Sting, Diana Krall,
Michael Franks, Frank
Sinatra
THERE ARE LOTS OF FABULOUS STORES IN DALLAS. WE HAD TO HAVE A NICHE OF BEAUTIFUL,
COMFORTABLE, READY-TO-WEAR, ONE-OF-A-KIND PIECES THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING
TO NOTICE EVEN IF THEY’VE TRAVELED ALL OVER THE WORLD.” KELLY MITCHELL
86 I N STO R EM AG .COM AU GU ST 2 014
SMALL COOL NO. 2 | KELLY MITCHELL
SCORE CARD
76%
STORY
81%
EXTERIOR
71%
ONLINE
OVERALL
SCORE
90%
INTERIOR
71%
MARKETING
80%
INDIVIDUALITY
82.1%
WHAT THE JUDGES SAY
Collections such as “Black Tie”
and “Everyday Wear” make it
easy for customers to find
what they are looking for.
Danielle Miele: The interior
is gorgeous! Looks like a delicious treat! Not only does the
store look flawless, but their
website carries the same presence — beautifully done!
Leslie McGwire: Just amazing! The overall design style is
excellent. The metal ceiling, the
elegant light fixtures, the gold
tones to the store are just beautiful. The mid-century modern
twist design is very different
compared to other jewelry stores
and refreshing to the client.
T Lee: The “patisserie” style
5 COOL THINGS
1. COMFORTABLE
LUXURIANCE.
The store has an open
floor plan that gives it
a salon feel. Showcases
resemble old-fashioned
bakery cases, and shoppers can sample branded
KM chocolates while
they browse. “It’s all
designed to be ‘Hey, how
are you doing?’ instead
of ‘What are you doing
here?’” Mitchell says.
Not bad for a shop where
prices reach six figures.
2. INSTINCTIVE
NAVIGATION.
The cases were inspired by old-style bakery
shelving, and shoppers can sample branded
KM chocolates while they browse.
88 I N STO R EM AG .COM AU GU ST 2 014
Mitchell’s showroom is
arranged by “life events”
so customers can see a
selection of pieces that
meet their particular
need. It’s intuitive and
provides a sense of price
point. For example, the
Everyday Wear area
is lighter, with more
self-purchase-type
items. Farther back in
the center are areas like
Black Tie.
3. SIT DOWN,
STAY A WHILE.
Customers are invited
to grab a flute of champagne while they shop.
“The reason Cheers
resonated so well is just
that a bar brings people
together and they connect,” Mitchell says.
“Our bar is where every
sale seems to close — and
it usually leads to great
conversation.”
4. WILD DESIGNS.
Mitchell has a wealth
of safari hunter clients
from her globe-hopping
days. “It’s a unique
client base,” she says.
She’s custom-made
pieces using lion claws,
warthog tusks, leopard
bones. “There’s plenty of
controversy around the
community, but these
hunters love animals as
much as anyone.”
5. THE CONCIERGE
APPROACH.
“I was used to having a
whole book of men that
expected me, the day
before every anniversary, to have either email
pictures right in front of
them or a FedEx box of
jewelry on their desk,”
Mitchell says of her early
career. She stresses that
level of service at her
store, too. “Service at a
level that is unexpected
is what buys you clients.”
curved glass cases and the pair
of round pedestal cases give
such a cafe feel that it literally
makes my mouth water even
before I see the jewelry. Kelly
has successfully leveraged a
niche clientele in the safari
community. I love the branded
chocolates, but I’m relieved
there are no animal heads on
the wall!
Andrew McQuilken: It’s all
about the metallic gold ceiling.
The attention to detail and
updated Old World charm create
a space full of energy and newness. It’s all familiar but with the
metallic gold twist.
Cindy Edelstein: I really
appreciate the interior design
— from the scale of the room
to the unique fixtures. I think
it’s a very inviting and enticing atmosphere that I’m sure
appeals to the customers who
want an experience and a fun
place to visit.