In a Q&A with National Jeweler, Genna Zimmer, vice president of strategy and operations at Reeds Jewelers, discussed her role in the family business, creating an experience for their customers, and the trickle-down effect of treating employees well.
Reeds Jewelers is celebrating a major milestone this year, marking 80 years in business.
The North Carolina-based jewelry chain, which now operates around 60 stores across 13 states, began with the love story of founders Bill and Roberta Zimmer.
Bill’s family operated the Reeds Jewelers that’s based in Buffalo, New York, but his love Roberta was living in Alabama, so the two met in the middle, buying a jewelry store in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1946 and calling it Reeds. (The Reeds Jewelers that’s based in New York also is still in business and is run by Jeffery Zimmer.)
The couple’s family-first philosophy helped grow the business from one store in Wilmington, North Carolina, into one of the largest family-owned jewelry retailers in the United States.
Their granddaughter, Genna Zimmer, a third-generation jeweler and vice president of strategy and operations at Reeds Jewelers, considers herself a steward of their legacy.
In an interview with National Jeweler, she discussed how Reeds Jewelers is celebrating its 80th anniversary, the importance of changing with the times, the secret to eight decades in business, and the love story behind it all.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Lenore Fedow: So, you all are celebrating 80 years. I heard this all started with a love story. Can you tell me more about that?
Genna Zimmer: My grandfather just genuinely loved people. When he got out of the war, he didn’t know what to do with his life and his career, because he had been serving [in the military] for so many years.
He was based in Buffalo, New York, and my grandmother was based in Birmingham, Alabama.
They looked at a location between the two and they saw a store for sale in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, and they called it Reeds.
He opened it because he just genuinely loved people, and what better way to be a part of people’s lives and the special moments than to sell jewelry and open a jewelry store.
Bill and Roberta Zimmer opened their first Reeds Jewelers store in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1946.
LF: How are you celebrating this milestone?
GZ: We’re so proud of this momentous occasion for Reeds. We’re hosting different celebrations in the stores. We launched an exclusive 80-year collection. We’ll be hosting lots of events and we encourage our clients to come out and celebrate with us.
We did a launch with Grand Seiko, an exclusive dial. Unfortunately, we did sell out of all of them. There’s a lot of excitement and fun.
The most important thing is having celebrations in our stores because we couldn’t do it without them.
SEE: Reeds Jewelers Through the Years
Genna Zimmer recalled strangers sharing stories about how her grandfather’s kindness touched their lives.
“My grandfather just genuinely loved people,” said Genna Zimmer. He’s pictured here in a Reeds store.
Shoppers browse Reeds Jewelers’ selections in an undated photo. Genna Zimmer said the secret to success is caring for your employees, which trickles down to your customers.
The Reeds Jewelers store in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina
An advertisement for Reeds Jewelers, back when it operated only a handful of locations
This Reeds Jewelers location opened in Cary, North Carolina, last year.
LF: You’re now the third generation in the family business. Was that something you always knew was in the cards for you?
GZ: No, I didn’t. I knew that my father worked extremely hard, seven days a week. Whenever I would go to gymnastics competitions, we’d go out of our way to visit a store nearby. It wasn’t until I was older that I started to question why.
When I took a family business class at UNC-Chapel Hill, I started to learn more about the business and that made me want to keep the legacy going.
Talking to different people about the ways my grandfather touched their lives really made me want to make sure his legacy lived on.
I remember getting my blood drawn one time in a hospital and this woman said, “Oh my God, are you a Zimmer? I had nothing and [your grandfather] treated me like a million bucks. He let me take the jewelry home.”
He was extremely charitable and when he passed away, there were lines outside of the funeral home. He was someone I am super proud of.
Once I had this “aha” moment, it’s something that I wanted to be a part of.
I knew that I wanted to be a well-rounded leader. I had a sales and marketing background. To get stronger in finance, I worked in corporate finance for [department store chain] Belk, and then I went to business school.
I do truly feel like a steward of the business. My goal is to keep the legacy alive and to keep being part of people’s special moments.
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LF: When you joined the family business, what were some of your goals?
GZ: I always say I’ll help Reeds wherever Reeds needs me the most.
I’ve done various roles from finding efficiencies in our home office operations to managing our fulfillment and receiving area. I’ve managed projects to help grow our e-commerce business.
I’ve been actively involved in designing our new stores to make sure that they reflect the modern client.
My grandfather was so amazing at providing this luxury experience. That experience looks different today than it did then and our stores needed to match that.
We are slowly transitioning our store to have more hospitality moments and integrated technology for side-by-side selling.
“If you love people and you love celebrating milestones, you should be in the jewelry business. If you don’t love people, you should do something else.” – Genna Zimmer, Reeds Jewelers
LF: What’s a jewelry or consumer trend you’re seeing that excites you?
GZ: In jewelry, I think the trend is love itself. We have the best job in the entire industry, being part of these momentous occasions.
Because jewelry is a luxury, people do want an in-person experience. A lot of people, such as Reeds, are really upping their game in those hospitality moments, making sure that a client feels like they’re entering the comfort of your home.
They’re always offered a beverage and those other non-negotiables in terms of experience.
I don’t think it’s a trend, it’s an everlasting moment, but I do think it’s what a lot of jewelers are focusing on right now, us included.
LF: What is the secret to staying in business so long?
GZ: I think the secret is really to be a steward of the business. We’ve expanded because we love our people.
The stores that have done the best for us are the stores where we have managers and sales associates who have been in the community for 20-plus years and have been loyal to Reeds for a very long time. Their clients are coming in just to see them.
The secret to success is to care for your employees, and that ends up trickling down to the customer. They feel that love, if you care about them, and we genuinely do.
My dad would say it’s tenacity. It’s a business we love and it’s such a fun business.
We always say if you love people and you love celebrating milestones, you should be in the jewelry business. If you don’t love people, you should do something else.
