Technology leads store’s decade of change

In 1996, Michigan Retailer profiled Eggleston Jewelers in Tecumseh, a long-time MRA member. What has changed in 10 years for this small-town, family business?

To the casual observer, perhaps not much. The store occupies the same downtown storefront and has not expanded or added locations. But in the important ways, Doug and Tamara Eggleston have come far, continually striving to become better at what they do.

Michigan Retailer: How has your business changed in the past 10 years?

Doug: The biggest difference is new technology. We recently bought a bench microscope and a laser, and both are good investments.

We stay on top of the latest technology to allow both our design work and our repair work to be the best available. We have also become more specialized, focusing more on bridal over the years.

MR: When your father started the store in 1949, watch and jewelry repair was a major part of the business, and in 1996 you said “repair is still a cornerstone.” How big a role does repair work play today?

Doug: Repair will always have a place at our store. It’s not the biggest money maker, but it’s part of being a full-service, small-town jeweler.

Our customer base is loyal, and they know to come to us for repair work. It’s a great feeling to have them trust us with their treasured pieces.

The new laser we bought makes repairs much easier. You can literally make repairs while holding the piece in your hand. It makes it much less likely a ring will burn, and we can work around heat-sensitive stones.

Tamara: The new laser also allows us to do more repairs on items we might have passed on before. We can now tell our customers that not only do we do repairs, but it’s with the latest and greatest technology.

Doug: We don’t buy this equipment just to have new toys—we know that we’ll do better work because we have it.

MR: Ten years ago your store had no website. When did you add one?

Doug: About eight years ago. We’re about to do a major redesign. We use it just for information rather than e-commerce, but it’s a fabulous way to get information to customers.

Tamara: It makes us more credible to customers from outside the area. You have to reach people in a broader area these days, and the website makes that easier. It’s part of being innovative, like buying new technology.

MR: What changes will you make in the website redesign?

Doug: For now, it will remain informational, but we plan to maintain it more aggressively. We’ll move more merchandise on and off the site regularly to keep it fresh, to give people more reasons to check it out.

Tamara: Although we don’t plan to sell online at this point, we are leaving that door open. You never know how the market and industry will change.

MR: Back in 1996 you explained the benefit of traveling regularly to Tel Aviv to buy diamonds. How has the way you buy diamonds changed?

Doug: Wow. Diamond buying has changed incredibly in the past decade. In the early ’90s there was a distinct advantage to going to Tel Aviv to buy diamonds. Not many small stores were doing it.

Today, everyone is doing it, so it has lost its advantage. We still go to Tel Aviv and to Belgium, but now it’s more as a form of marketing.

In the ’90s, New York City was a sleepy, unexciting place to buy diamonds. Now we’re doing great in New York. We buy about 90 percent of our diamonds in the U.S.

Isn’t that small business, though? The industry is constantly changing. What works today isn’t necessarily going to work tomorrow.

Tamara: The world’s a much smaller place in many ways, and I think the industry as a whole realizes that as well. Back then, diamond buying was much more top-down. Today, everyone works more closely, more directly. Everyone is more empowered in this more open world.

MR: At the end of the 1996 profile, you mentioned you were “keeping an eye on the rapid improvement in synthetic diamonds and what that might mean.” How do those words sound to you now?

Tamara: The romance of a natural diamond will never fade. Although there are some beautiful synthetic diamonds, most customers still want the real thing. It matters to them that it’s a natural diamond. It’s similar to buying from a real person in a real store compared to buying on the Internet—to many people, it still matters.

MR: Where do you see your business in another 10 years?

Doug: I bet we’ll be in the same storefront, the same size. To the guy who thinks progress means growing the store to a 10,000 sq. foot space, we look like we’re not very forward-thinking. But to us, it’s perfect. We value our home and family life. It’s important to both of us to maintain a good work/home balance. Tamara has been great at that.

We’ll probably be more specialized, more heavily into bridal. I’m sure there will be better technology in all aspects of the business.

We just remodeled the store and we’re very proud of it—it looks very cool. Of course, by then this look will probably be forgotten.

Tamara: I think we’ll hold onto the basic values we all want in this community, but with fresh ideas and technology.

MR: Your children were young when we interviewed you in 1996. How old are they now—and is there any chance they’ll want to go into the family business?

Tamara: Our daughter, Sara, will be 18 soon and our son, Alex, is 12. Sara already works for us on weekends. She loves the business. First we want her to go to college, then we’ll talk.

If she still wants to be a part of it, she could be a huge asset in the store’s vision. She could see things going in a different direction. She’ll have new eyes and know more about her generation.
[Editor’s note: Sara Eggleston took the photo that accompanies this article.]

This article was written by Amy Buttery, Michigan Retailer staff writer.