MajorsJan 02, 2026
Marc Metrick Out as CEO of Saks Global Executive Chairman Richard Baker will take over the role as rumors swirl that a bankruptcy filing is imminent for the troubled retailer.
EditorsDec 06, 2016
A Big Space for Privacy, Please
The owners of Long Island’s Mayfair Jewelers are leasing a 3,000-square-foot space near their store for private appointments and extra-special events. Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff reports.
Lauren Kulchinsky Levison, like so many others in the industry, keeps reading all the stories about stores going out of business.
Just last week, I recounted the latest figures from the Jewelers Board of Trade; in the third quarter, 318 retail jewelers/repairers closed down, for reasons that have been recounted multiple times here and in other publications: internet competition, changing consumers, the shrinking middle class and aging store owners among them.
“If you just keep putting in the same old, you’re going to get the same old. There’s a big difference between routine and commitment.” --Lauren Kulchinsky Levison, Mayfair JewelersJust today, we wrote about another independent jeweler shutting down--Washington Jewelers, a Main Street mainstay in North Carolina that opened in October 1962.
That makes it only slighter younger than Levison’s family’s store, Mayfair Jewelers, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. (As an interesting bit of trivia, the store got its name from the first shopping center it was located in, the Mayfair, after the family moved the business from Manhattan’s Lower East Side to Long Island in the 1950s.)
Levison knows, however, that if they want to stick around for another six decades, they have to start doing some things differently. The retail landscape is changing, and her family’s business has to evolve along with it.
“If you just keep putting in the same old, you’re going to get the same old,” she said. “There’s a big difference between routine and commitment.”
For Mayfair Jewelers, the current routine is to close their Woodbury, N.Y. store two days a week to do business by appointment only.
Levison said on these days, customers come in with their wedding or evening gowns and she helps them pair jewelry with their dresses. Her father, Dan Kulchinsky, and her brother, Justin, take private appointments too, and she also does at-home appointments in which she helps clients style their entire wardrobes with jewelry and accessories.
But her father recently started on a new line of thinking--collaborate, elaborate, liberate--that resulted in the retailer making a commitment to lease 3,000 square feet of industrial space.
Located not far from their store, Levison said they will build out the space to function as a private appointment and event venue, one that they can turn into whatever they want for their clients.
If it’s a client who loves wine, then they’ll be in their wine dream, she explained. If fashion is there
passion, then it’ll be a fashion dream; if they’re coming in for an engagement ring or wedding-day jewelry, then the theme can be bridal.
She envisions the space, which can handles as many as three appointments at once, changing to accommodate each customer and to hold special events, like fashion talks or catered dinner parties themed around specific jewelry designers, like an amazing Italian meal to celebrate Antonini.
Kulchinsky said she expects the space will be open by April, and I am anxious to see it. (I’m angling for an invitation to the event that involves the Italian food, or any food really.)
Interestingly enough, right before I spoke to Levison last Monday, I was interviewing Susan Eisen, a jeweler in El Paso, Texas, for our first holiday sales roundup of the year.
Toward the end of the interview when I was asking about her store’s holiday hours, she said that she currently was open on Sundays by appointment only, but would be opening up to all customers as Christmas get closer.
As a side note, she mentioned how much she enjoys her private appointments because they are just that, private. She can concentrate on the customer and her or his needs without being interrupted by a ringing telephone or questions from her employees about their sales or other activities going on in the store.
Levison feels the same way, and so do her brother and father.
Their hope is that his new space bridges the gap between what people like about shopping on the internet--comfort and privacy--and what it is that brings them into stores today--a wonderful experience that they can’t get from sitting on their couch with a computer on their lap.
“It’s our favorite part, the one-on-one,” she said. “You can’t sell romance and mythology and eternity in the public spotlight. You have to do it privately.”
She envisions the space, which can handles as many as three appointments at once, changing to accommodate each customer and to hold special events, like fashion talks or catered dinner parties themed around specific jewelry designers, like an amazing Italian meal to celebrate Antonini.
Kulchinsky said she expects the space will be open by April, and I am anxious to see it. (I’m angling for an invitation to the event that involves the Italian food, or any food really.)
Interestingly enough, right before I spoke to Levison last Monday, I was interviewing Susan Eisen, a jeweler in El Paso, Texas, for our first holiday sales roundup of the year.
Toward the end of the interview when I was asking about her store’s holiday hours, she said that she currently was open on Sundays by appointment only, but would be opening up to all customers as Christmas get closer.
As a side note, she mentioned how much she enjoys her private appointments because they are just that, private. She can concentrate on the customer and her or his needs without being interrupted by a ringing telephone or questions from her employees about their sales or other activities going on in the store.
Levison feels the same way, and so do her brother and father.
Their hope is that his new space bridges the gap between what people like about shopping on the internet--comfort and privacy--and what it is that brings them into stores today--a wonderful experience that they can’t get from sitting on their couch with a computer on their lap.
“It’s our favorite part, the one-on-one,” she said. “You can’t sell romance and mythology and eternity in the public spotlight. You have to do it privately.”
More on Editors
The Latest
Events & AwardsJan 02, 2026
Jan Mohr, Couture’s ‘North Star,’ Dies at 71Mohr had just retired in June after more than two decades as Couture’s retailer liaison.
SourcingJan 02, 2026
IDCA Elects New President, Board of DirectorsShekhar Shah of Real Gems Inc. will serve as president of the Indian Diamond & Colorstone Association in 2026.
Brought to you by
Impacting Tomorrow TodayHow Jewelers of America’s 20 Under 40 are leading to ensure a brighter future for the jewelry industry.
CollectionsJan 02, 2026
Lalaounis’ 2026 Good Luck Charm Speaks to ResilienceThis year’s good luck charm features the mythical horse Pegasus, and is our first Piece of the Week of the new year.
Weekly QuizDec 23, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
MajorsDec 30, 2025
Becka Johnson Kibby to Lead Edge Retail AcademyAs part of the leadership transition, Sherry Smith will take on the role of vice president of coaching strategy and development.
SourcingDec 30, 2025
India Chosen as KP Chair for 2026It marks the third time the country has headed the Kimberley Process. Ghana will serve as vice chair.
Brought to you by
Roseco Releases New Full-Line CatalogRoseco’s 704-page catalog showcases new lab-grown diamonds, findings, tools & more—available in print or interactive digital editions.
WatchesDec 30, 2025
Bulova, Stetson Collab on Watches With Western FlairThe new Bulova x Stetson designs highlight two animals often associated with the American West—the bison and the Texas Longhorn.
CollectionsDec 30, 2025
Rahaminov Diamonds Pops Up in FloridaIts residency at Yamron Jewelers will run through May 2026.
IndependentsDec 29, 2025
In Memoriam: Industry Friends We Lost in 2025From influential executives to innovative designers, we pay tribute to the people we said goodbye to this year.
MajorsDec 29, 2025
Tanishq Opens New Stores in Florida, VirginiaThe retailer is expanding into areas with large Indian and South Asian populations.
MajorsDec 29, 2025
Nanis Opens First Flagship Store The Italian brand has opened its first flagship amid the peaks of the Dolomites in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy.
SourcingDec 29, 2025
‘Unearthed: Raw Beauty’ Exhibition Opens at LA MuseumThe new curation at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County showcases rare gem and mineral specimens in their uncut, natural state.
CrimeDec 24, 2025
LA Jewelry District Couple Pleads Guilty to Hiding Millions from IRSThe couple pleaded guilty to concealing at least $127 million in cash transactions at its precious metals businesses.
SurveysDec 24, 2025
Consumer Confidence Falls Again in DecemberConsumers shared concerns about prices, inflation, tariffs, trade, and politics in the survey’s write-in response section.
AuctionsDec 24, 2025
Bonhams to Open New U.S. Flagship in NYCIn February 2026, the auction house will move its headquarters to the former Steinway Hall, a neoclassical landmark on Billionaires’ Row.
Events & AwardsDec 24, 2025
NYC Jewelry, Antique, & Object Show Announces Winter EventThe new show will take place Jan. 23-25, 2026.
SourcingDec 23, 2025
Mining Titan Brian Gilbertson Dies at 82The former BHP Billiton leader and Gemfields chairman is remembered for his influential leadership throughout his 50-year mining career.
Events & AwardsDec 23, 2025
Bulgari Reimagines Costume Designers Guild AwardThe LVMH-owned brand has partnered with the costume design union to revamp its award for 2026.
MajorsDec 23, 2025
Kering to Acquire Stake in Raselli Franco GroupThe luxury titan inked a deal to acquire an initial minority stake in the jewelry manufacturer with a pathway to full ownership by 2032.
MajorsDec 23, 2025
For Future Reference Vintage Enters Bloomingdale’sThe company’s curation of unsigned vintage and estate jewelry debuted at the Bloomingdale’s in Costa Mesa, California.
CrimeDec 22, 2025
Customs Seizes Hundreds of Fake Rolex, Cartier WatchesIn the recent multi-shipment seizure, CBP also found counterfeit Audemars Piguet, Moncler, and Chrome Hearts items.
Recorded WebinarsDec 22, 2025
2025 Jewelry Rewind: Looking Back on an Eventful Year Jewelers of America execs and National Jeweler editors discuss tariffs, the sky-high gold price, and the engagement that broke the internet.
MajorsDec 19, 2025
MadaLuxe Group Acquires Ippolita The luxury goods company said founder Ippolita Rostagno will remain at the brand’s helm.
MajorsDec 19, 2025
LVMH Names New Bulgari CEOLaura Burdese, who joined the Italian luxury brand in 2022, will take on the role in July.
EditorsDec 19, 2025
2025 Jewelry Superlatives: A Yearbook-Style Year in Review The National Jeweler editors revisit the most noteworthy industry happenings and design trends from 2025.
