Featured Vendor: Jacob Matthew Jewelers
When it comes to businesses that embrace its community, Jacob Matthew Jewelers is sure to be one of the businesses at the top of the list. As soon as you walk through the double glass doors, you are greeted by friendly representatives with engaging smiles that are reminiscent of being reacquainted with an old friend.
Detroit Wedding Day had the opportunity to visit the Canton jewelry store during an interview with its owner, Tammy Haggerty. Within the first hour of the store opening for the day, customers were joyfully bustling about, while engaging with the employees.
It is easy to see why customers enjoy visiting this business because the staff goes the extra mile to be welcoming to guests. The store even has two comfortable oversized chairs in the sitting area that houses a small coffee station and a bowl of treats for the customers.
Although these features are nice, what really brings in shoppers are the selection of beautiful jewelry and the store’s professional staff.
Credentialed Gemologist and Expert Appraiser
“I started when I was 18 working in a jewelry store. I went to GIA and became a gemologist. An instructor there told me that I would be a great appraiser,” said Haggerty.
Haggerty is no stranger to the industry. She has 34 years of experience.
After completing her studies at GIA (Gemological Institute of America), she served two years as an appraiser apprentice in Cleveland, Ohio. After 20 years of conducting appraisals servicing over 50 stores in territories covering five states, opportunity knocked, and Haggerty answered.
The Beginning of Jacob Matthew Jewelers
For 16 years, Haggerty operated her appraisal business in an office established inside of Showroom of Elegance. Over the years, she became close friends with Linda Robin, the owner of the business. Once Robin decided it was time for retirement, she made Haggerty an offer to take over management of the store. Haggerty did manage the store for two years, however, had bigger plans.
“I didn’t want her jewelry; just the database. Then, I opened a week after she closed and changed the name to Jacob Matthew Jewelers, which are my two sons”.
The new business opened in January of 2017 and remained at the old Showroom of Elegance location for nine months while awaiting its new home to be built. They later moved to the new location in September of 2017.
“So, in one year, we opened up, changed the name, and moved. I did the trifecta that you are not supposed to do,” Haggerty light-heartedly said.
When asked how the surrounding community responded to the new business, she says, “It was overwhelming. They were very happy we were open. At first, they were sad when they saw that Linda was going out of business. I didn’t tell anyone that we were opening back up the business, because I wanted it to be her time. She was closing and I wanted her to have her time and not overshadow that.”
Once the previous owner officially closed, Haggerty hit the ground running. She launched a campaign to announce the new business and it was well received by the community.
If you were not already aware, the community is the cornerstone of Jacob Matthew Jewelers.
“We are very, very dedicated to our community. I give ten-percent of my business back to the community.”
When asked why she gives back, her response was, “Because you should. There are so many great organizations”.
She shared that she is on the committee for Wounded Warriors. Being on the committee gives her the insight to see the needs of the organization first-hand. She says it’s important to get involved because it matters and makes a difference. During the interview, her compassion toward servicemen and servicewomen was obvious. She shared that her endearment towards this organization stemmed from her own brother being a serviceman.
“I have a soft spot in my heart for all of the military. Every branch. So many of our soldiers now are facing so much pain.”
Many of the causes that she supports are local organizations, school sport teams, and national organizations that have local representation in the community. The act of giving back is woven in the very core of the business.
What’s in the Future?
The store’s business has been continuously growing. In fact, according to Haggerty, they have had a 24% growth since last year alone.
“Even in challenging times, we’re still having growth. This just goes to say how we are with people when they come in. I want you to feel like you can walk in and feel comfortable with us”.
The brightly lit showroom displays sculpted glass chandeliers and wall sconces which add elegant design with a whimsical flair. Each display case is filled with dazzling stunning gems that arouse curiosity with each step.
“There is not a woman out there who can’t tell you where she got every piece of jewelry, whether it’s from Target or for an anniversary. Whether it’s big or small, we know where we got it all. Jewelry is a very important part of someone’s life”.
The Staff
The staff members of Jacob Matthew Jewelers are quite knowledgeable as well. The assistant manager, Alyssa, has a BFA in Art and Design with a concentration in Metalsmithing from the University of Michigan. Brian, one of the representatives who has many years of experience, is a former jewelry store owner himself. Fernando, one of the jewelers, has been in the business for 40 years. Sharon, the other onsite jeweler, has years of experience and even teaches jewelry making classes in Dearborn, along with Alyssa. There is even a sales representative on staff who has a Master’s in Archeology. Needless to say, the employees are extremely knowledgeable about jewelry, gems, and design.
The store’s onsite jewelers design custom pieces for clients with discriminating taste. Additionally, they also carry one-of-a-kind pieces from other well-known designers. Each piece is individually inspected and selected to assure that it meets the store’s quality standards. With that in mind, since Haggerty is a specialist in gems, she says that her store may have gemstones that many other jewelers may not have in inventory. Examples of certain stones that this may include are charolite and natural alexandrite.
Haggerty states, “I do not have one created gemstone in my store! I need people to understand that you can buy natural and still be able to afford it. So many times, they think that they can’t afford it because so much that’s available at the mall-chains are created. They think that they can’t afford it but they can.”
Another thing that Makes Jacob Matthew Jewelry Unique
There is generally some kind of exciting promotion or event going on at the store. Haggerty believes that the business can’t just sit back and wait for customers to come into the store. So, she always gives them a reason to visit. The promotion that was featured at the time of this interview offered customers the chance to pick a gift of either a large flat screen television or a pair of diamond earrings valued at $1000 when they spent $2500 or more.
Furthermore, there are two signature events held at the store each year. The first event is basically a birthday celebration for Haggerty in which the customers receive a discount based on her age.
“For one day, you get my age off. So, this year it is 52% off. People will wait for that, but it’s only one day. It’s a true sale! We don’t mark things up to then later mark them down”, says Haggerty.
The second signature event is a Thanksgiving BOGO event. Unlike the one-day birthday sale, the BOGO (buy one- get one) event goes on the entire week of Thanksgiving in November. There are some limitations due to designer restrictions (i.e. Pandora and Swarovski) but the sale price can be used on the majority of the products in the store.
Wedding Jewelry
Haggerty says that she recognizes the importance of the wedding business to her industry. She believes once she finds the perfect piece for her customer, they will come back time and again for future pieces to add to their jewelry collection.
As a matter of fact, Jacob Matthew Jewelers can also help brides and grooms who are looking for gifts to give to their wedding party.
“I have pearl stud earrings for $15 or we can order a flask for the guys. Why not get the gifts here where it is presented well?”
She continued, “We also rent jewelry. No one else is doing that. Swarovski is huge! Think about it. You have a wedding dress and you want this killer item that you will only wear once. Right? So, you rent it.”
Actually, renting jewelry is actually very simple. Customers pay just ten percent of the value of the items and then a hold is placed on their credit card for the value of the piece until the jewelry is returned.
Trends
When asked if she noticed any recent trends among customers, Haggerty says that she observed that yellow gold is becoming popular again. She says the prices are comparable to white gold, but it has the perception of being more valuable due to its yellow tones.
Words of Advice
For those who are just beginning their wedding ring search, Haggerty offers these words of advice.
“Take your time. Don’t get overwhelmed. And never, never, never buy online. Because it’s too big of a purchase to not be 100% sure of what that item is. How is it made? Is it real? Is it not real? There’s too many created out there”.
She says that she has had gentlemen come into the store who were comparing online rings to her jewelry.
“Online is cheaper. There’s a reason why it’s cheaper. I can usually get within $500 to $800 of the online price; but wouldn’t you want that for the security in knowing what it is? Plus, I stand behind it.”
Once the bride-to-be has her ring, Haggerty recommends keeping the ring clean to help prevent premature wear.
Lastly, she recommends bringing pictures of ring styles that the bride-to-be likes so that similar styles can be tried on.
Final Thoughts
In closing, Haggerty shares one last thought.
“I would like others to know that, yes, we might look like a Tiffany’s when you walk in, but we have more of a small-town welcoming atmosphere. You can get items for $25 or $200,000. It’s your pick. You can be proud of giving a gift to someone from us”.
When not in the store, Haggerty can be found in the community networking at business functions, volunteering her time with the Wounded Warrior Project, or spending time outdoors with her husband and two sons.
