The First Place

Oct 8

In their own words

“We want people to feel comfortable. They’re going to see beautiful, magnificent things. My mother has always kept a lot of our inventory in the safe, so [our selection] doesn’t get stale, especially exciting and larger pieces. Over the years, we’ve sold large, brilliant-cut diamonds and colored diamonds. People can come in here and see things from all over the world and get a slice of it here in Wichita.”

-Buffy Dodson

Jason’s Interview With Buffy

Jason

Today our guest is Buffy Dodson from The First Place.

How did you start this company?

Buffy

Actually, it was 1973. My mother went through a divorce. There really weren't any women in jewelry. Very few at the time, certainly in Wichita, Kansas. Slowly, she built a business from 1,000 square feet. Forty-six years later, we're still in business with a very large store, several generations, and exciting designers and jewelry. It's been a wonderful experience for us.

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We have always had a variety of products. We've done fine jewels and loose diamonds. We also do decorative items and all price ranges.

Jason
Being second-generation yourself, is this something you always wanted to do?

Buffy
I did. My father was actually in high-end clothing. I grew up in retail. After my parents divorced, my mother went this direction. I think I just had it in my blood. It's something I've always loved doing. I'm an art history major in English, but I think my heart was always in jewelry.

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

Buffy
I think there's an old phrase, “nothing feels like a real diamond”. The history of diamonds and watching through my years in this business, seeing someone like David Yurman go from one small case in Dallas and meeting him when I was barely twenty, and seeing him as one of the largest brands in the world.

It’s like a family. When I was pregnant, he was at my baby shower.

He is now celebrating his fiftieth anniversary of his company. It's been fun growing with them.

Jason
What's the ambiance, how do people feel when they come in?

Buffy
Comfortable. Like they're going to see beautiful, magnificent things. People can come in here and see things from all over the world, and get a slice of it here in Wichita. And often meet the designers.

Jason
You have up to 200 designers I believe, right?

Buffy
We do. We like to bring things from a lot of different people.

Jason
What's your specialty?

Buffy
In our store, I would say it’s high fashion jewelry. We sell a lot of diamonds. We don't make pieces. We buy beautiful designers. We have a full-time jeweler. I make sure that they know they can trust us and get the most fabulous piece.

Jason
Three words that describe your aesthetic?

Buffy
I would say it's exciting, current, and fun.

We have wine, soft drinks, whatever they want to drink. We always have food out. A lot of people say it's like a party all the time. And it really is.

We don't have anyone on commission. There's no pressure. It's just a good experience.

There have been a few incidents where my mother has told couples not to get married. You're a counselor, you serve a lot of different roles as a jeweler. You are here to listen, you're here to entertain, and to show people what they want. Sometimes people are buying happiness too. So, I think you have to make it fun, or it's not fulfilling what they want.

Jason
Is there a fun proposal experience you can share with us?

Buffy
I always try to make sure that they don't do something that's public and unexpected. We've had to put big diamonds and emeralds in dog food bags. We’ve had them go into food. I still think a beautiful leather box is the best way to go. But you do whatever your client wants.

We just make sure that they love what they buy here. That they're pleased. And that they see the value in it.

Jason
What is it like when somebody comes in to go through the engagement ring experience?

Buffy
You have to get a feel for them. You have to know what they've always wanted - if they want something antique-looking or current. I'll always be a fan of large diamonds. But I think it's a different world right now. You have to give them that value and style. We go to the ends of the earth to make the experience fabulous for everyone. I decided one day that I was going to give free jewelry repairs. We had hundreds of people that we had never seen before come in. But we thought it would be a great experience.

Jason
You give to different organizations—are there a couple that you want us to know about?

Buffy
The coolest thing my family has ever done: my mother was asked to help an art community here. They needed $60,000 to keep their doors open. Instead of just writing the check, she thought about it and asked seventy women to give her $1,000. Not one woman turned her down. This was twenty-something years ago. That has turned into an organization called Women of Wichita.

Every year, we have over 100 women that give us $1,000. As a group, we decide what nonprofits in Wichita need the most help. Every year, we've supported different nonprofits. We've bought cars for the children's home. We've supported the arts. We've supported animal rescue and our Humane Society. The list of what people need is endless. It's about your community and being a part of the whole package.

Jason
Ethically sourced stones. What's your stance on that?

Buffy
There's a need for price ranges. We have a small area of travel jewelry too, in cubic zirconia and sterling. When it comes to our fine jewels, I don't think there's a designer that we buy from that would use unethical stones or methods. We are conscious about that.

Jason
What do you want us to know?

Buffy
At The First Place, you’ll get a unique experience. We always have something new. We go to a lot of markets all over the world to find the newest and most exciting gifts and jewels.

We have free gift wrap and delivery. We try to give as much service as we possibly can. You can bring all your jewelry in. Our jeweler Sam will polish and clean it and check your stones. You can just come in and have that done and say hello.