Bryan Jewelry

May 5

In their own words

“It is about you, my customer. What are you looking for today? I want to get to know you, find out what your lifestyle is, what kind of jewelry will fit your needs, and what you’re going to enjoy wearing for generations. So it’s about the customer’s personality. We are individualized; I want you to walk in and tell me how we can help you.”

-Lynn Bryan Young

Jason’s Interview with Lynn

Jason

Today, we're talking to Lynn Bryan Young from Bryan Jewelry. How did you get into the industry?

Lynn

I came by bloodline. This is a family business. It started in 1953. My uncle began the business, and my father not long after that went to horology school in Peoria at Bradley University. He came out and worked for my uncle in Prattville. Then, he went on to work within the industry in other businesses. Over the course of time, my uncle neared retirement and at that time, my father, mother, and myself came from Montgomery and took over the business. We have been here since 1979, working hard and working in our community, getting to know people, and sustaining them with beautiful things that sparkle and make them smile.

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Jason
What is it about jewelry that you love so much?

Lynn
It tells a story of people. There's the gem lore, just the beauty of all the gems and the stories behind them. The fact that diamonds have been growing, created centuries and centuries ago. They’re unearthed and man can polish them and release that beauty from within. And then we have the ability to adorn ourselves with them. It's a language of love. It's a way of self-expression. It allows us to create our own personality. It's something that's tangible. And it's something that we hand down through generations.

Jason
When people come into your store, what's the ambiance?

Lynn
We are in the South. Southern Hospitality is paramount. When you walk in the door here, you become part of our family. We know their stories. It's a very personal business. We want you to feel very welcomed when you walk in the door.

Jason
What do you focus on?

Lynn
The desire of the customer. I could sell you all day long what I like, but it is about you. It's about my customer. I want to get to know you and find out what your lifestyle is, what kind of jewelry is going to fit your needs. It's about the customer’s personality. I offer precious metals, gold, silver, and platinum. I offer gemstones that are mined stones and I offer lab stones. You tell me what you need and I'm going to make it available to you. We are not a cookie-cutter store. We are very individualized. Brick and mortar is not all we have to offer anymore. We have a digital presence and we're working on that.

Jason
What are three words that describe the brand?

Lynn
Honest, value, conscious.

Jason
You have big brands.

Lynn
We have an occasion to travel to a lot of regional jewelry shows. We are in several buying groups. We go to Antwerp and purchase diamonds as well. We do a really good job trying to merchandise and bring back the best value to our customer, as well as quality products that can become family heirlooms.

Jason
Are there any pieces that stand out to you?

Lynn
I love Alwand Vahan. I love getting behind American-made companies. It's kind of a passion. Vahan is a great product for us. Some of us are a little more mature, some of us are a little more petite. To be able to offer a product that can truly fit a lady’s wrist is really nice. Fana is another great bridal company that is emerging. A great vendor for allowing us to tweak their designs and incorporate other designers.

Jason
Tell me about the personalization experiences that you offer.

Lynn
We've got merchandise showcased. We have prototypes. We have a counter sketch program where we can sit down and work with you. We can look at a tangible prototype, like a 3D catalog. Our customer can try it on and see what they like about a piece. We can sit down at the computer and work on a design with you.

Jason
What's trending in your store?

Lynn
We're seeing a little bit more excitement about yellow gold again. It's ironic. Another thing that's interesting about the industry is to see the way styles resurge in years gone by. Vintage pieces come back up and now we're seeing yellow gold. Stackables are an exciting way for women to express themselves. We’re seeing that done in all colors: rose, yellow, white. And with multiple gemstones—adding them to the wedding stack or just a stackable band on a separate finger to express a birth month with colored gemstones.

Jason
Now I want to talk about your favorite engagement stories.

Lynn
We actually partner with Montgomery Biscuits, a baseball organization that was part of the Tampa Devil Rays. We do a highlight program at their games if someone proposes. During baseball season, we see a lot of proposals during the season.

The sweetest proposals are when we get to see them in the store. When he gets down on one knee in the store and we get to share that experience and see the joy in the moment.

We've also been part of a program with our local TV station, “With This Ring”, which allows us to showcase our proposals for the community, to see the joy on their faces and the love between the couples.

Jason
Here's your chance to say whatever you like.

Lynn
Come in and enjoy getting to know us. We want to get to know you and see how we can serve you. This year, we will be celebrating sixty-seven years in the community. We love being involved in the schools and being involved in all the community activities. I've had the pleasure of serving on the Chamber for the last two years and seeing how the community is growing. We can help fulfill your self-expression with sparkly things that make you smile.