Thoughts from the Desk of Oliver Smith
Guest User
Aimee and I are celebrating our 30th Anniversary this month! She has raised 3 wonderful kids and been a real steady partner. Recently we were out to dinner with some friends and the next day the guy said to me 'I can see Aimee wears the pants in your family'. The success of a good relationship is knowing when to stay quiet and let the other lead. Of course I did mention it to Aimee and every now and than I have to pretend to be hiking my pants up, when she tells me to do something. Ha! keeping the humor is pretty important too.
After 35 years years in business I have decided to close on Mondays! From this point forward we will be open Tuesday through Saturday and closed on Sunday and Monday. Being open for only 5 days a week will make scheduling easier and my mental state more relaxed.
The discussion over the $60 million Desert Discovery Center (now called Desert Edge) is heating up. After years of study it is probably going to come to a vote by Scottsdale citizens. Stay tuned.
Diamondbacks have been really fun to watch this year. Congratulations to whomever decided to trade for J.D. Martinez. He hit four homeruns in one game the other night!
Sprouts is opening right next to me. Work has begun on the demolition of a 30,000 square foot space in the center of my shopping center. The owner plans to rebuild a space for Sprouts. Plans are to open in March. Lucky for me my friend Adam Mays is doing the construction work and have been extremely understanding of my needs.
Alma closed in my center... now something new 'Urban Kitchen' to open soon.
Amazon owns 7% of the US retail market. There is a trend by Millennials to shop in stores more because they want the experience!
In order to give you a better experience at OSJ we are beginning a store remodel. We will be creating a few more seating areas were you can enjoy a more intimate environment to look at jewelry and watches. Work is to begin shortly. I'm using Jere Plank again, from Archicon, he did our original design of the store in 2007.
Last week a client came into the store with a ring she bought from a competitor up the street for $15,000. It was such an egregious overcharge for a ring that we would have charged $6,000. The jewelry business has changed, and you need to do your homework.
George Reid, my new watch guy, is doing a great job for OSJ. Please stop in and say hello and ask him to put you on his WATCH WORDS email blast list that talks about the watch industry and new products in the store. Or email him here.
Consumer confidence is the highest in 16 years! No amount of bad leadership can cripple this economy or this country....you just have to keep working.
Diamond prices are still flat or some would say depressed. Good time to buy. Gold is getting a little hot at $1340/ounce. We are still looking to buy estate jewelry. Please continue to send me your referrals. I promise to take good care of your friends and neighbors. Send Jodie an email to get on my schedule.
Lastly we are looking for someone to help us in the sales department. Must have at least five years experience selling jewelry locally. Let me know if you have a good person.
OSJ is proud of the value we represent to our clients. After 35 years in an extremely competitive business we have grown 30% this year alone. No one sells custom designed high quality fine jewelry for a better price than we do!
Sincerely,
Oliver Smith
