Jewelry

Jewelry Trends at Caves (From page 93)

jewelry is together, then we have more inexpensive pieces for kids (i.e., mood rings, mood necklaces, things that kids would buy). We have another section with more adult-looking, inexpensive jewelry that we keep in one area. We have jewelry tables—nesting tables that we can pull out and move around. That’s where we display the necklace trees and more expensive jewelry that creates a very pretty visual look to it, as well as keeping all that merchandise in one area.” She pointed out they have a separate section for aromatherapy items, including healing stones. “We pull that out and put it with the metaphysical items because it makes sense,” she explained.

Brumbaugh suggested using creative display pieces to show off the jewelry’s unique features. “We have some really nice, big [resin jewelry] trees that we hang our necklaces on. We started with one—things sold so well, we bought a second one. It’s helped tremendously, especially with some of our unique pieces or things we don’t buy in large quantities. We hang them on the tree and they sell well.” She added, “One thing I would recommend is to get some interesting-shaped bowls. Some of ours are made from stone. We use them for rings, sometimes our bracelets. They make nice display pieces, especially for the gemstones. It also ties into the venue and the theme of the store. We have some other displays—one of Wheeler jewelry—that we keep close to the counter. One other tip—we have aromatherapy jewelry that we sell in a little area that’s displays. We’ve found that keeping things in display cases, people often do not want to ask to see it. It kind of inhibits sales,” she explained. “We’ve tried to get it out on the counters so people can see it more readily and will be able to identify the price more quickly. We’re working on getting it more up front and make it more visible. We have kind of a quirky store, it’s not as easy to display items.” dedicated to metaphysical uses and purposes. We sell chakra jewelry. We have aromatherapy jewelry next to our pendulums, healing rocks, stones for metaphysical reasons.”

Painter advised utilizing vendors’ display racks and arranging items in a creative way. “Take advantage of racks and merchandisers offered by manufacturers. I believe they put a lot of study into merchandising their products. [And] offer a variety of price points and styles,” she suggested. They have tried different merchandising methods at Lost River Caverns over the years. Currently, Rozewicz and her team try to make it as visible as they can. “We have a lot of counter

Looking ahead to 2022, retailers are mixed on emerging trends. Harshfield said at Ohio Caverns, they keep up with trends to a certain extent, but tend to rely on their tried-and-true sellers “We don’t have anything specific that we’re looking to do with increasing sales [with trendy items]. Quartz and amethyst on a rotator pendant—we’re seeing a lot of them come in. We’re anxiously awaiting our shipment to see how they do in our store,” he said. Trends can be difficult to predict, and even more difficult to sell when it just doesn’t fit a market. Painter said she is expecting a few trends in the New Year: “I’m hearing natural, fun, and colorful. Chokers, pearls, chunky chains, and arm cuffs. Time will tell,” she said. Rozewicz predicted “longer necklaces, layered necklaces. One vendor is encouraging a lot of high-end birthstone jewelry.”

Visitors to caves and caverns gravitate towards jewelry because it is a direct correlation to the attraction. From birthstone rings to healing stones, cave and cavern gift shop retailers strive to carry a wide range of jewelry that looks great, is affordable, and fits the look and feel of the attraction. ❖