Oliver Smith Jeweler expanded in May to a second Scottsdale location, building on its four decades of business experience in the Arizona community and introducing its first men’s jewelry collection as the store’s focal point.
Located at high-end shopping center Scottsdale Fashion Square, the new boutique features jewelry designed by Smith as well as a selection of pre-owned timepieces. This is the first Oliver Smith location in a mall, so Smith wanted to ensure that the store’s look and feel reflected the brand.
Architect Eddie Jones, founding principal of Jones Studio, designed the 600-square-foot space to be simple and minimalistic, Smith says. The store has custom-made wooden wall units instead of traditional jewelry cabinets, to maximize shoppers’ view of the pieces inside. Lighting and the acrylic tiles on the ceiling all add a shimmer to the space that makes the store feel more like an art gallery, Smith says.
“Store size is relevant to the product,” Smith says. “Jewelry can be shown in a small, luxurious environment. The store must exude confidence and quality. That’s why we spent so much on the cabinetry—it correlates to the quality of our craftsmanship in jewelry manufacturing.”
Oliver Smith Jeweler has been in Scottsdale since 1985 and now has a total of five locations in Scottsdale and Aspen, Colo., including two stores for Panerai watches. This expansion into Scottsdale Fashion Square gives it a prime location near upscale retail and restaurants, Smith says. Many of the mall’s shops are part of national chains, but the “area is underserved by local luxury brands,” he says.
“People need to try on jewelry for purchases of significance,” says Smith. “Men are the big buyers, and they like to have a relationship with a local shop that can serve them when needed. They can’t get service like that online.”
Having a special display wall for watches inside the Fashion Square location also fits how male consumers prefer to shop, Smith says. “Men like to try on a watch and see how it fits their wrist. They also enjoy the rush of seeing watches that they can try on and aspire toward for a future purchase,” he says.
The new Scottsdale boutique offers Smith’s signature collections, including Prism, featuring colored sapphires, and Cairn, highlighting diamonds, along with his new men’s line, which uses different metals and stones in jewelry that Smith says can be worn as everyday pieces and as a form of self-expression. “Men are getting more comfortable wearing diamonds and gems. It’s starting to trickle down to the mainstream consumer,” he says.
Smith is looking forward to his family-owned business opening additional stores and his daughter Elizabeth taking over the reins soon.
“You see successful brands in jewelry that last for generations, and that’s our goal—to be around for generations,” Smith says. “There is a value to the community to support Oliver Smith and brands on a local level. Every family needs a trusted adviser, and we want to be the family jeweler.”
Top: Oliver Smith Jeweler’s new boutique inside the Fashion Square shopping center is the brand’s second location in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Photos courtesy of Oliver Smith Jeweler)
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