IndependentsApr 19, 2022
Sissy’s Log Cabin Strengthening Presence in MemphisIndependentsMay 16, 2022
Karats Jewelers Plans Expansion Into 30,000-Square-Foot Store
The Kansas retailer is aiming for a fall 2023 opening.
Kansas City’s Karats Jewelers plans to move into a new 30,000-square-foot store, a massive expansion from its current 5,500 square feet. Owner Akshay Anand opened the business in 2005, drawing on his family’s extensive jewelry business experience.
Kansas City—Kansas independent Karats Jewelers is planning a major expansion.
The retailer is set to move into a new store that will grow it from its current 5,500 square feet to 30,000 square feet.
Owner Akshay Anand opened the business in 2005, drawing on his family’s experience—he is the sixth generation to be in jewelry.
The store has weathered a major recession and a pandemic since it opened its doors. Now, Anand is ready to grow the business even more.
Located at 12260 Blue Valley Parkway in Kansas City, just five miles from the current Karats Jewelers location, the new store will be designed to provide a better customer experience, Anand told National Jeweler.
Karats’ core business is bridal jewelry, and Anand wants the new Karats to “create an engagement ring experience for the next generation.” Looking beyond millennials, he envisions the new store as a space that matches how the younger generations shop, building trust to sustain the retailer in the future.
“We’re not just looking for the sale but how to capture the market because as they grow, our business will grow.”
Related stories will be right here …
The retailer is set to move into a new store that will grow it from its current 5,500 square feet to 30,000 square feet.
Owner Akshay Anand opened the business in 2005, drawing on his family’s experience—he is the sixth generation to be in jewelry.
The store has weathered a major recession and a pandemic since it opened its doors. Now, Anand is ready to grow the business even more.
Located at 12260 Blue Valley Parkway in Kansas City, just five miles from the current Karats Jewelers location, the new store will be designed to provide a better customer experience, Anand told National Jeweler.
Karats’ core business is bridal jewelry, and Anand wants the new Karats to “create an engagement ring experience for the next generation.” Looking beyond millennials, he envisions the new store as a space that matches how the younger generations shop, building trust to sustain the retailer in the future.
“We’re not just looking for the sale but how to capture the market because as they grow, our business will grow.”
Here’s one example of how Karats plans to capture the market: the retailer will hire a full-time sushi chef from Japan and offer a sushi bar to its customers.
It will also partner with local businesses for events.
Anand added that the new store will offer “environments” for various product categories throughout, like mini shop-in-shops. As a person passionate about the environment and the ecosystem, he also plans on incorporating plenty of trees and flowers into the new store’s design.
Though Karats already carries more than 20 watch brands, the expansion will also bring a greater focus to the watch division, partnering with new brands to offer watches at all price points.
They will also revamp their website and build an app for the store to create a full “hands-on” experience.
The land on which the future store will sit has already been purchased, and the city has approved the plans.
Anand said he anticipates breaking ground in July, with the goal of opening the new Karats Jewelers in fall 2023.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Independents
The Latest
PodcastsMay 21, 2026
Episode 5: Sotheby’s Frank Everett Puts the Auction Market in PerspectiveEverett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.
Events & AwardsMay 21, 2026
JA Announces Nina Pugliese Memorial ScholarshipThe new award, created in partnership with Henne Jewelers, honors the late designer’s legacy through supporting jewelry education.
SourcingMay 21, 2026
Botswana, Angola Join WFDBThe addition of the diamond-producing countries as nation affiliated members broadens the federation’s global representation, WFDB said.
Brought to you by
All Eyes on Gold Prices. Alternatives to Look For. And What to BEWARE of in VegasAs gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.
CrimeMay 20, 2026
NYPD Warns of Jewelry Swap Scams Targeting SeniorsThe NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.
Weekly QuizMay 21, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Events & AwardsMay 20, 2026
Here Is Couture’s 2026 Education Lineup The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.
Lab-GrownMay 20, 2026
Savannah Friedkin Jewelry Names New CEOFormer Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.
Brought to you by
How Modern Training Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage for Jewelry RetailersWith the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.
WatchesMay 19, 2026
Here’s the AP x Swatch Pocket Watch That Caused PandemoniumThe $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.
CollectionsMay 19, 2026
Chris Ploof’s New Collection Makes an Ancient Metal ModernWith gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.
IndependentsMay 19, 2026
Ellen and Michael Fruchtman Retire, Sell Marketing Agency Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.
ColumnistsMay 19, 2026
Peter Smith: The (Mostly) Immutable Sales TruthsIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.
ColumnistsMay 18, 2026
Edahn Golan: What a K-Shaped Economy Means for Fine JewelryIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Foundrae’s New Collection Taps Into JoyThe “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Hancocks London Acquires Historic ‘Inchiquin’ EmeraldThe jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.
Events & AwardsMay 18, 2026
Here Are the 2026 JCK Industry Fund Grant Recipients This is what the nine recipients plan to do with the funds.
AuctionsMay 15, 2026
American Collector Ponies Up Almost $17K for John Wayne’s RingThe Western star’s 14-karat gold signet ring sold for six times its low estimate following a bidding war at U.K. auction house Elmwood’s.
Events & AwardsMay 15, 2026
JA, MJSA To Sponsor Roundtable at TJSThe discussion, "Rebuilding the Jewelry Workforce," will take place on Saturday, May 16, in Troy, Michigan.
SourcingMay 15, 2026
State of Diamonds: The Way Forward for Natural DiamondsThe jewelry industry is reassessing its positioning as Gen Z reshapes the retail landscape and lab grown continues to gain market share.
AuctionsMay 14, 2026
White Diamonds Lead Sotheby’s Auction, Blue Diamond Does Not SellA matching pair of 18.38-carat, D-color diamonds from Botswana’s Jwaneng mine sold for $3.3 million, the top lot of the jewelry auction.
Supplier BulletinMay 14, 2026
A Diamond Is Forever Continues Desert Diamonds – Bridal ReinvigoratedSponsored by A Diamond Is Forever
SourcingMay 14, 2026
State of Colored Stones: The Spirit of Young American Gemstone CuttersThe next generation of lapidarists are entrepreneurial, engaged online, and see the craft as a means for artistic expression.
AuctionsMay 14, 2026
‘Ocean Dream’ Makes Waves at Christie’s, Fetching $17MIt was the second auction appearance for the fancy vivid blue-green diamond, which sold for $7.8 million at Christie’s Geneva 12 years ago.
CrimeMay 14, 2026
Second Man Arrested in Florida Pawn Shop Shooting Members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force took a 22-year-old man into custody. He was charged with tampering with evidence.
CrimeMay 13, 2026
JSA’s 2025 Crime Report Shows ‘Concerning’ Rise in ViolenceWhile the overall number of crimes was down, there were more incidences in which robbers pulled out guns, mace, or rammed cars into stores.
IndependentsMay 13, 2026
New Orleans Jeweler Closing Canal Place StoreJack Sutton Fine Jewelry is closing its store inside the downtown shopping center after 40 years in business.
SourcingMay 13, 2026
Smithsonian Acquires ‘Winston Red’ Diamond PaintingReena Ahluwalia’s painting of the rare red diamond is the first contemporary painting to join the National Gem Collection.
