Events & AwardsAug 03, 2023
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Instore Show Concludes First Run
The jewelry trade show happened Aug. 13-15 in Rosemont, Illinois.
The inaugural Instore Show was held Aug. 13-15 in Rosemont, Illinois.
Rosemont, Ill.—Seven years after the last “Smart” jewelry trade show, Instore Magazine has concluded its first Instore Show.
The Instore Show 2023 was held Aug. 13-15 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.
The trade show co-located with the Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference, which took place Aug. 11-12.
Also on Aug. 12, Instore and MJSA held a day of educational programming, called “Cram Day.”
MJSA also oversaw the show’s “Bench Pressure Challenge” on Aug. 13 and 14.
The competition consisted of two challenges revolving around “mystery boxes” of materials.
Shayna Egan of Green Lake Jewelry Works in Seattle won the “Mystery Box Challenge.”
Alongside two other bench jewelers, Egan was tasked with designing a piece using the box of materials ahead of the trade show. The jewelers then presented their finished product to an audience at the show.
The second challenge, the “Timed Challenge,” happened on-site.
Jimmy Butts of Sissy’s Log Cabin in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, won the challenge, which involved resizing, setting, and finishing a piece using given materials.
The challenge had to be completed within three hours.
Related stories will be right here …
The Instore Show 2023 was held Aug. 13-15 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.
The trade show co-located with the Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference, which took place Aug. 11-12.
Also on Aug. 12, Instore and MJSA held a day of educational programming, called “Cram Day.”
MJSA also oversaw the show’s “Bench Pressure Challenge” on Aug. 13 and 14.
The competition consisted of two challenges revolving around “mystery boxes” of materials.
Shayna Egan of Green Lake Jewelry Works in Seattle won the “Mystery Box Challenge.”
Alongside two other bench jewelers, Egan was tasked with designing a piece using the box of materials ahead of the trade show. The jewelers then presented their finished product to an audience at the show.
The second challenge, the “Timed Challenge,” happened on-site.
Jimmy Butts of Sissy’s Log Cabin in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, won the challenge, which involved resizing, setting, and finishing a piece using given materials.
The challenge had to be completed within three hours.
Other highlights included the “Play It Cool” party that honored winners of Instore’s annual “America’s Coolest Stores” awards and keynote speaker Shane Decker. He delivered a presentation titled, “How to Double Your Average Ticket Sale.”
Educational sessions were held throughout the show, facilitated by Instore columnists and various retailers on topics spanning store environment, overcoming customer objections, and prepping for the fourth quarter based on retail trends.
“It was great to see the pages of Instore come to life with so many of our columnists and peers present for the show,” said Eileen McClelland, managing editor of the magazine.
Exhibitor Kimberly Collins of Kimberly Collins Gems remarked, “On opening day, we did triple the goal we set for ourselves for the entire show. Retailers restocked some loose colored gemstones, including a huge blue zircon from Cambodia and teal sapphires.
“We also sold a beautiful ruby tennis necklace, and there was also lots of interest in rainbow jewelry and Barbie pink.”
Alan Goodheart of Goodheart’s Jewelry in Overland Park, Kansas, said, “It was great to reconnect with people. We haven’t been to a show since before the pandemic. We’ve had two great days of buying and the party was amazing—the food, the music, the excitement.”
The Instore Show will return to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois next year from Aug. 11-13.
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