Jewelry

Selling Jewelry at Hallmark (From page 156) with tiny pendants featuring gemstones or cubic zirconia, are the top selling pieces overall; Silver Forest shoppers will often pair them with matching earrings. While the delicate look is still going strong, Kurt’s Sales Associate Twila Chapman has seen a trend toward bolder jewelry as the pandemic ebbs. “The little pieces are more of an everyday thing,” she observed. “With our restaurants, schools and universities open- women gravitate toward larger jewelry; Generation Z opts for daintier pieces that show up well in Instagram close-ups. Rodgers’ in-house guide to youthful tastes is her own granddaughter, Manager Mikayla Yeomans. (The family business also includes Rodger’s Co-Owner, daughter Kim Yeomans, and her other granddaughter, Chelsea Willis, who assists with bookkeeping.) ing up, and concerts happening for the first time in a couple of years, people are going out and looking to make more of a statement.”

A few years back, Rogers noticed that Bobbi’s fashion section was failing to attract younger shoppers, and she turned to Mikayla for help. The result is Lovayla Boutique, a store-within-a-store that occupies about a third of Bobbi’s 8,500 square feet. Mikayla Yeomans rotates fashion displays on a halfdozen mannequins, and created a separate website and social media accounts for the boutique.

In Bakersfield, Calif., Retailer Carol Rodgers thinks the split maybe generational. At Bobbi’s Hallmark Shop, which she has owned for 35 years, older

“Our fashion just took off,” marveled Rodgers. Her granddaughter’s “Western boho” sensibility has revitalized sales of clothing, hats, purses and jewelry. Necklaces and bracelets are best-sellers in the jewelry department; top lines include Silver Forest, Rain and Jean Marie. “And when customers try on outfits and wonder how to accessorize, Mikayla always has a suggestion,” Rodgers added. ❖