John Mays Jewelers

Feb 16

FORT SMITH, AR

In their own words

“It’s not so much selling the jewelry, it’s the romance of it: Being a bench jeweler and waiting on someone and then going back to create something they’re going to have forever. We try to relate to every customer, what they want, and what they need. Every customer is a different scenario. One person might be looking for an engagement ring, and I have everything they wanted. Another customer, which is probably my favorite way to do it, I have an idea for, and they let me run with it.”

-Kevin Mays

Jason’s Interview with Kevin

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we're talking to Kevin Mays from John Mays Jewelers. How did you get into the industry?

Kevin

I started off in the industry just kind of helping out around the store. The founder opened his store in 1999. I came into the business off and on around 2004. Dealing with crowds in the store, learning the back as far as policy, printing the cases, all the groundwork. I came home and started my graduate degree. Since then, I've acquired my certified gemologist appraiser, went to the Harvard School of Business with GIA this last year, and the rest is kind of history.

+ Keep reading

Jason
Did you always know you wanted to enter the family business? I know your brother is also in the industry.

Kevin
I went to school first and when I came back, he went off to jewelry school right after me and obtained his graduate degree. I didn't always want to be in the business. Before this, I was in the motorcycle industry and kind of raced motorcycles full time. It's not so much selling the jewelry, it’s just, the romance of it, waiting on people. Being able to be a bench jeweler and actually waiting on someone at the counter and then go back to help create something that they want that they're going to have forever and tell a story about it. That's a big part of it too for me.

Jason
When people come in, what's the feeling?

Kevin
We're just trying to relate to every customer and every customer that comes in has a different scenario. We're totally in love with the business. When you're selling love and romance, there's nothing better than being a part of someone’s special moment.

Jason
Tell us some of the big milestones.

Kevin
Most recently, we were the 2018 brand advocate of the world for Hearts on Fire. My father, my brother, and I have all been Hearts on Fire champions. There are certain credentials you have to make to be able to be a champion with Hearts on Fire and we've been a champion every year since we've been a business. We most recently celebrated our 20th year in business. We premiered their architectural collection here in Arkansas a few years ago. That was a really big brand. We also had Jay Scott, another one of our designers we carry. We had his largest selling trunk show ever here in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Jason
What do you think it is about that?

Kevin
We want people to come into our store—we're not trying to get you just for an engagement ring. We want you to be a customer for life. My father sold into fourth and fifth-generation customer bases. We're building generational sales, we're not just looking for the one-time sale. You see your customers all over in a small town. We're very involved in our community. I think that has a big part of it.

Jason
You don't have to list all the charities and organizations you've supported, but I do want to make sure you give a shout-out to some of the top ones. I know St. Edward's Dinner Dance Auction—you've been doing that for over 20 years now.

Kevin
I have worked with the hospital for over 20 years now. We donate to another organization in town that helps disabled families and people in our area. That is called Great Escapes. We also help another event that deals with children through the Tennis Association around town. We donate to all the high schools and give them all their homecoming crowns. We all went to the same school, all four of us, all four generations.

Jason
Do you think that's something that was instilled in you?

Kevin
Definitely. I think that's something that our mother and father taught us. My mother was a nurse for 30 years before she came into the business with us. My mom always liked to help people and the community.

Jason
What do you think you’re best known for?

Kevin
Everyone knows that I have a love of jewelry. I love stones.

Jason
Let's talk about some fun customer stories. You've probably been part of so many proposals.

Kevin
Recently, I had a young couple. They were wanting an alternative gemstone engagement ring. I showed them some color. Green turquoise, a beautiful stone that wasn't a ton of money. It wasn't the price. It was the fact that she fell in love with that color and that was the exact color. They took it on the spot. It was just a beautiful thing, so excited about a non-diamond engagement ring, you don't see it all the time, but you do see this gain more traction.

Jason
What do you think's expensive, but totally worth it when it comes to diamonds and gems?

Kevin
I think you're always going to get what you pay for. You can never substitute qualities. Anyone can get online and click on now and have it shipped to their house. It's hard to get the beauty of something and be able to understand it without seeing it in person. A good example is pearls. There's many different strands of pearls out there. There's many different grades and qualities You can look at them, you can roll them, you can feel them. You can just see that mother nature did something special. The same thing with gemstones. Beauty can be seen in many different ways. Quality doesn't have to be expensive, but you also need someone knowledgeable. Education is key in this industry.

Jason
Why do you think they trust you and your family?

Kevin
Honesty is everything. You can tell immediately if someone is giving you a sales pitch or if they genuinely know the answer. We may not know the answer to everything, but I can guarantee I'm going to find out that answer. We have their trust and we've developed it over the years.

Jason
Are there any key brands that you're really excited about?

Kevin
Of course, Hearts on Fire is a big brand for us. I'm GIA and we pride ourselves on selling triple zero ideal cuts down. We sold watches for a lot of years. We sold a lot of pearls. We're looking at a few new brands to bring in. We haven't made any full commitments. We just returned from the jewelry show. We haven't revealed it just yet, but we'll see in the next coming months.

Jason
One final question for you. This is your chance to say whatever you like to Meet the Jewelers—why should they meet you?

Kevin
We pride ourselves on being a family store. We want you to come back. We want to see your kids grow up. We want them to come in, come to our events, give us a shot. We put on events, we throw out all the stops, we have food, signature drinks. We do giveaways. We encourage you to come in and ask us a question, bring us a piece of jewelry that you've got. Let us take a shot at fixing something for you. We do everything in-house, we are full service.