A focus on fun has helped Luisa Graff Diamonds & Jewelers, Colorado Springs, Colo., increase sales from $1.6 million to $3.5 million in five years. It also has helped the store win a number of local “Best Jewelry Store” awards in Colorado Springs for four consecutive years, and Graff will soon open a second store in the area.

“We promote having fun,” says owner Luisa Graff, who works closely with her team to project that image. “We really believe that if you’re not laughing with the customer, then you’re doing something wrong. You have to love what you’re doing.”

Graff hires and trains employees carefully; that’s especially important while she develops her new store, which leaves her less time to monitor their work. “I want to make sure everyone here is trained to do it on their own,” she says. The most important aspect of selling, she says, is “just having fun with your customers.” She teaches this to her employees by explanation and example.

Graff’s advertising complements her store’s fun image. A recent example featured a woman sitting cross-legged with a huge ring in her arms, with a banner that read: “Give Her Bragging Rights.” The lighthearted ad fit the store’s image and boosted traffic from both men and women.

Graff designed a complicated logo when she started the business, but found it was difficult to replicate and didn’t really fit her image. “In order to be fun, it needs to be easy,” Graff says. So she changed it—three times. The result was worth it. She now uses a simpler logo and expects to stick with it—for a while, at least. It’s another example of doing what feels right, but consistently aligning those decisions with the store brand.