Independents
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Roman Jewelers stitches together a winning event
By Joseph Dobrian
February 23, 2009
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| Volunteers from Dress for Success and Roman Jewelers conducted a clothing drive that left the local charity stocked for the year. From left: Ruth Kehoe, Dress for Success volunteer; Stefani Conley, director of Dress for Success Morris County; and Annika Nelson, storeowner Sophie Shor, Sandy Heimberg and Diane Pedalino, all of Roman Jewelers. |
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Flemington, N.J.--Months before the holiday season, Roman Jewelers got into the holiday spirit by hosting a women's clothing drive in late October at its Flemington and Bridgewater, N.J., locations.
The organizer of the Oct. 26 drive was a nonprofit organization called Dress for Success of Morris County (an affiliate of Dress for Success Worldwide), whose mission it is to provide work-appropriate clothing and accessories to disadvantaged women as a way to assist them on their way to financial independence.
"Dress for Success Worldwide is a wonderful organization that reaches out to help women make a new start in life, and we want to do whatever we can to be a part of that effort," says Sophie Shor, owner and vice president of Roman Jewelers. "My husband Roman and I, and our daughter Lucy [who emigrated from Russia], are so grateful to be living in the United States and in our community that we have made it a priority to try to give something back to those who need assistance."
In fact, Roman Jewelers supports quite a few charities as part of its efforts to stay involved in the community, including many nonprofit groups that help women, says Sheila Palka, marketing director for Roman Jewelers.
"Dress for Success specifically targets women who have been in trouble," Palka says. "We promoted this event very heavily, via an ad in the local newspaper and a press release that we sent out all over central New Jersey. We did some online advertising and sent an e-mail blast to our mailing list; we also put up posters in our stores."
While it is hard to quantify the success of the event, the Morris County organizers told the jeweler after the event that they appeared to have enough clothing for the rest of 2008.
"It took us several trips to get all the clothing to their headquarters," Palka says. "Dress for Success generated a significant amount of traffic, in both stores, and we were surprised at how many people donated--and at the quality of the donations."
Roman Jewelers habitually hosts various fund-raisers, in-store and out, to support local and regional causes. Recent events have included a wine-tasting party for the Flemington Food Pantry, a culinary affair (in cooperation with some 20 restaurants) to support Hunterdon Hospice/Visiting Health and Supportive Services, and a carnival to support the Flemington Fire Department.
Palka says the retailer's online advertising--via the Web site and e-mail--seems to make the public more comfortable with visiting Roman Jewelers electronically and with shopping at the Web site before visiting the store. The "millennial" generation--those born roughly between 1980 and 1995--are especially likely to use this approach, although word of mouth remains the best advertising, and many of Roman's new customers are intergenerational referrals.
"A lot of customers will come into the store saying that they saw one of our Internet promotions or were attracted by one of our e-mails," Palka says. "Men and women both respond well to online promotions, but if I had to guess at one category that does especially well on the Internet, I'd say watches. Men like the convenience of being able to check the Internet to find out where certain products are available."
The store is still trying to get a handle on what kind of jewelry the new generation will like, but so far, the retailer is seeing a demand for more individual styles and custom-designed engagement rings from the younger set.
In terms of merchandise, watches and custom work are the keys to Roman's success. Top watch brands include Cartier, Baume and Mercier, TAG Heuer, Swiss Army, Montblanc and Philip Stein Teslar.
Women are referred to Dress for Success Morris County from all over New Jersey by social service agencies and other not-for-profit organizations. Founded in 1997, Dress for Success Worldwide has affiliate offices in more than 80 cities in seven countries. Through the organization, clients receive a week's worth of clothing and accessories (including purses, shoes and jewelry), plus referrals to various career opportunities.
This story first appeared in the January 2009 print edition of National Jeweler.
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Paso Robles, Calif.--Eleven percent of Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council (JCOC) panel members plan to purchase fine jewelry or watches as a gift this holiday season, with 82 percent of this group believing they are either somewhat or extremely likely to do so, according to the JCOC's Pre Holiday study. Read More
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