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Now That's Interesting!
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Wood,
who's looking for another jeweler, says finding "good people" to
hire is a challenge. Chittenden County's low unemployment rate is one
reason. Another is that the store holds high standards for employees
who are going to work with merchandise valued at thousands of dollars. "I've
got to know the background of everybody working here," Wood says, "not
only because of the economic value of the merchandise but because of
the sentimental value, too. We might be repairing someone's grandmother's
brooch. Because of jewelry's emotional significance, I need to know that
I have people I can trust."
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Simon Woodrup (left), JoAnn Wood and Jim Adams consult on a
piece of jewelry.
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The attention Wood pays to his customers impresses Normand, whose wife
was browsing in the store one summer day, looking at bracelets. "One
of them caught her eye, and when I went in at Christmastime to buy her
a gift," Normand recalls, "Kent remembered what she
had been looking at and showed it to me. That's the type of guy he is.
I bought that bracelet and gave it to my wife at a restaurant, and she
could hardly eat. The glow on her face when I buy her something from
Fremeau's is just worth every penny."
Wood says he and his salespeople intentionally create an unintimidating atmosphere
in the store. "People are our best advertising," he says. "We try to make it
fun for them to come in. We're happy to show them anything they want even if
they don't plan to buy. We also try to tell them prices so that they don't have
to ask."
One reason Fremeau's salespeople are able to create
a relaxed environment is they do not work on commission. Instead, the store
has a monthly sales goal. If the goal is reached, all of the employees receive
a percentage based on the number of hours they worked during that period. This
method supports teamwork, Wood says. "A lot of times customers come in to look
at jewelry several times before they buy something," he says. "No body working
here ever says, 'That's not my customer.' "
Furthermore, Wood says none of Fremeau's customers ever say, 'If only I'd waited
to buy it on sale.' Warren Wood didn't believe in sales, and his son agrees. "Dad
felt it was fairer," Wood explains. "It doesn't matter when
you walk in here, the piece you were looking at is always the same price." Wood
adds he is fortunate in the jewelry business because the product mix remains
relatively unchanged year after year.
"Diamonds and precious gems are millions of years old," he says. "They're
not like cars or clothing, which go in and out of style. There isn't a 1999 diamond
or a 2001 sapphire. This isn't the clothing business where you have to figure
out what next season's styles are and if you miss, you mark down. These gems
are timeless."
Unconcerned about keeping up with fashion trends, Wood says he is unfazed by
competition from other Church Street jewelry stores. "Actually,
I think it's beneficial to have competition," he says. "When
people are spending a lot of money on an item, they want to comparison-shop.
They don't want just one option. If we were the only jewelry store on the street,
I don't think we'd do as well." Wood says he loses more customers to travel agents
than to other stores. "For the most part, we're dealing with discretionary income," he
continues, "so it's more a question of, 'Am I going to take a trip or buy a piece
of jewelry?'"
For those opting for the latter, Fremeau provides "diamond rooms" so
customers have privacy when looking at and discussing jewelry with salespeople. "People
don't always want everybody to know they're getting engaged or how much they're
paying," Wood says. What they do want is to know they're talking to a knowledgeable
salesperson; thus, Wood's employees are not allowed to sell the store's most
precious gems diamonds until they have taken the GIA course, which is offered
by correspondence. Archambault and Woodrup are working to become certified gemologists.
With 161 years of business behind his store, Wood doesn't see the need to make
any major changes to Fremeau Jewelers "I see it continually as a single store
as opposed to branching out," he says with certainty. What
is less certain is whether either of his two daughters (who are 10 and 12 years
old) will take over the business one day. Along with his wife, Patricia, who
is president of Chittenden Securities Inc., Wood's children occasionally help
at the store. "Who knows whether they'll really become interested in it?" he
asks.
For now, that doesn't matter. Wood is content with his livelihood. "I
can't think of anything I'd rather be doing," he says. That's fortunate for customers
like Normand, who can't think of anywhere he'd rather be shopping. "In my mind,
there are no jewelers other than Fremeau's."
© 1996-2003 Mill Publishing Inc. All rights reserved
Reprinted from www.vermontguides.com
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