With its revamp, I.W. Marks Jewelers is banning the long lines of jewelry cases in its store and bringing in a new layout, a revitalized atmosphere, and a larger jewelry selection for customers.
The interior renovations will start soon, but the refresh on the store’s attitude began long ago, says Brad Marks, owner of I.W. Marks, a full-service, family-owned and -operated jewelry store in Houston. Marks says the renovation is dedicated to his parents, who opened the store in 1978 and would approve of the planned changes.
But his parents won’t see themselves reflected in the new design, Marks says, and they’d appreciate that even more. He says his parents regularly updated the store, and he continued that tradition with the last renovation only five years ago.
“The main thing [they] instilled in me is you have to evolve,” Marks says. “And if you’re not going to evolve, you’re not going to be here. I’m very sentimental. I miss my parents. You want to keep things they way they had them. But I know good and well that if I kept the store the way [they] had it and did the things [they] did, it wouldn’t work. You have to evolve.”
Marks is working with Houston-based firm Identity Architects to completely renovate the store from top to bottom, he says. That means everything from raising the ceiling to make the store at 3841 Bellaire Boulevard feel larger to new lights in that higher ceiling. Marks says the redesign also removes some walls to create an open floor plan.
The biggest change will be moving away from a line of cases to an open layout with table-like cases throughout the main part of the sales floor. Customers can walk around these cases to see what’s inside, something made easier because the cases will be organized by brand and style, Marks says. This also frees the sales staff to walk around and work with customers in a more conversational way.
“In a typical jewelry retail store, there’s a case line and customers cannot go behind the cases. If they want to see something, they have to ask for assistance,” Marks says. “Here, there’s no case line. People can walk around the displays. They can see everything. How many stores do you have right now where you have a lot of wall cases? People can’t see that far.”
Marks says he hopes people notices that subtle shift not only in the physical store but in the way the store operations.
“It’s not a customer and a salesperson, separated. It’s two people looking for a gift for a special event,” Marks says. “There’s no, ‘I’m behind the case and you can’t come back here.’”
Marks says he is keeping some of the store’s signature areas, like the bar, in-store seating lounge, and the private viewing room. The bar area not only is ideal for informal interaction but also helps I.W. Marks host events, especially for local nonprofits and charities.
“I still wanted the bar for events and refreshments, but I wanted an upgraded area,” Marks says. “There’s a whole new atmosphere. They’re not customers. You’re making friends. They have a lot of trust in you that you’re selling them what they want, not just you’re selling them what you want.”
The renovation should be completed this fall, Marks says. In the meantime, he also is adding new jewelry brands to his store, including Michael M, Konstantino, Mémoire, and Lashbrook, and watchmakers Franck Muller, Carl F. Bucherer, Angelus, and Oris.
Top: I.W. Marks is starting work on a full renovation, removing its line of cases and creating an open floor plan, says owner Brad Marks. (All photos courtesy of I.W. Marks)
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