David’s Jewelers

Apr 13

In their own words

“The thing with jewelry is it’s not just a piece of gold or platinum or glittery stones. It’s often a memory, an important occasion. It’s something someone’s going to remember. Or, on the repair aspect, it’s somebody’s treasure they trust us with. We have to take extreme care with it and show them the same love that they show it and hand it back better, prettier, and continue their memories with that piece.”

-Sean Miller

Jason’s Interview with Sean

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we're talking to Sean from David's Jewelers out in Anchorage, Alaska. How’d you get into the industry?

Sean

I started out twenty years ago, needed an after-school job. One of my buddies got me a job here. And I stuck around. Owned the business for about five years now.

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Jason
How'd you go from there to being the owner?

Sean
I had kind of a housemaid’s job. Basically, keep things clean around the store, sell stuff, sales at the counter. Eventually, I got curious about wanting to get my hands on a jeweler’s bench. I started putting my hands on stuff. One day, I just kind of worked myself into getting a bench. I'm pretty good at it. Sticking around the business, the old owner was ready to get out of here and it was my turn.

Jason
Tell us about David and the virtues that he's passed on that you're continuing.

Sean
David is the original. He isn't part of the business much anymore, other than in and out. He still sells a few things out of our showcases and we have a great relationship. When he built the business thirty-one years ago, he was really focused on customer service and quality. Even though he sold it to somebody else, he made sure that that stuck. It was all in writing that this is the way this business will operate. It's always been exciting to see the way customers enjoy being treated nicely and to be able to continue that.

Jason
Tell us about the customer experiences that you do in the store.

Sean
I try to be just an everyday guy. What kind of makes me different is that I don't treat anybody any different than I want to be treated. I try to have a really good time. I try to make sure everybody's happy when they leave here. Everybody leaves with a smile, that's my goal.

Jason
What are some fun jewelry pieces that you enjoyed working on?

Sean
Anything that I'm custom building generally goes out for a customer. I don't build stuff just to put in the showcase. Right now, I'm working on setting a five-carat pear-shaped diamond in a really beautiful classic art deco piece. Looking forward to getting that finished up

Jason
Have any fun proposal ideas that you suggest people try out?

Sean
As casual as just rolling something across the table and saying, “Hey, I picked up a little something.” It always gets a chuckle, but I prefer people choose their own romantic way to do it.

Jason
What do you do to make customers feel safe and secure when they're shopping from you?

Sean
Crack a corny joke. Get them to smile. Hopefully it's not just me earning your business now, it’s earning your business for your first anniversary, your fifth anniversary, ten, fifteen. I want to be here for the long haul.

Jason
How big is your team now?

Sean
Nine people

Jason
If there's anything you want our team to know, this is your chance to say whatever you like.

Sean
Just stop in, give us a shot. We'll have a great time. We’re never going to pressure you. I want to be here for the lifetime of my customer. I'm going to be doing this for a long time. I want to make sure we build a good relationship.