So much sparkle and a twinkle of the eye...
Rick Mahler, the owner of Packouz Jewelers, is a businessman
at heart and a master multi-tasker. The
twinkle in his eye hints at the wheels turning in his head. It was extraordinary to watch him and an
exercise in energy-management because he is either going from one thing to the
next or thinking about the next
thing. I was exhausted by 11am.
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| Rick where he loves to be - at the counter photo credit: Brooke Van Roekel |
Packouz Jewelers is one of the last, high-end, independent
jewelry stores in Portland. It was
established in 1917 and passed through three generations of Packouz’s. For many Portlanders, particularly some of
the more established families of the city, Packouz Jewelers represents family
and long-standing Portland tradition.
What is Portland tradition? It’s
the kind of service where you are ALWAYS greeted with a smile and treated like
the most important customer regardless of who you are or what you’re wearing. (I’ve been known to enter in my running gear
without anyone in the store batting an eye.)
It is also the kind of place where people come in just for a chat, which
is what I witnessed several times the day I was there. And because this is Portland, dogs are always
welcome. No matter what the weather may
be outside, this little treasure (pun intended) of jewelry store is always a
warm, bright oasis on Broadway.
So, what does a day look like for a jewelry storeowner? One word:
BUSY. There may not be one
customer in the store, but there is quite a bit happening. I realized that the customer interaction at
the counter represents 1/3 of the time spent on the transaction, while 2/3 of
the work actually happens behind the scenes.
Here is a snapshot of Rick’s day:
7.30-8.30am: Rick
typically gets to the store between 7.30 - 8.30am. From the time he enters until his first staff
member arrives around 9.15am, he gets a hold on all of the administrative parts
of the job which includes things like:
payroll, insurance, contacting vendors, following up on repairs, orders,
reviewing sponsorship proposals, and paying bills. It’s a flurry of administrative work.
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| Rick on the phone with a watch broker searching for a particular watch for a customer photo credit: Brooke Van Roekel |
Around 9.30am: The staff
starts getting the jewelry out of the safes and merchandising the cases. Rick dons a pair of white gloves as he shines
and places many of their Swiss-made watches.
Heidi, one of his staff, works on displaying all of the jewelry with
gemstones. The store starts to
sparkle. Also, at this time, a cleaner
enters the store to wipe and clean all of the surfaces. Rick’s wife, Tonya, vacuums and another staff
member, Jennifer, begins going through all of the emails. Everyone is bustling. The phone is ringing off the hook, but this
is the time that they can get the store ready, so it goes to voicemail until
calls are returned at 10am, the official opening time of the store.
10am: The store
opens. It’s quiet up front, so Rick
continues with making phone calls, following up on orders, returning phone
calls, checking on the new phone system that is to be installed and discussing
the final price he’s willing to pay to advertise in Portland Monthly. Literally, he is crossing one thing after
another off his list in what feels like split seconds.
Around 10.45am:
Rick’s landlord enters the store.
He’s an old friend of Larry Packouz and is interested in getting a new
watch while also checking about the water in the corner of the basement floor. Rick and he spend a bit of time chatting.
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| Rick doing what he loves: helping customers photo credit: Brooke Van Roekel |
11:10am-2pm: Rick chases the insurance lady, helps a few more customers who have entered the store, returns a call about a speaking engagement request, reviews a few emails, and tries to get the phone company to confirm the installation of their new phone system.
2pm: Lunch time. We head to nearby Imperial, where Rick has
become a regular and is well known by the whole staff. It’s like walking in with the mayor.
3.15pm: It’s back to
work where Rick spends the afternoon in the front of the store helping
customers along with the rest of the staff.
4.00pm: A couple of
vendors enter the store and ask to speak with Rick. They don’t have an appointment, which doesn’t
thrill Rick. One is a veteran rep, who
is currently a rep for a pearl dealer.
The other represents a German designer and manufacturer. Rick’s in the middle of helping a customer,
and they both hover in the corner of the store.
As Rick knows, “good selling is proper buying.” He is courteous and emphasizes the need for
them to schedule an appointment. For the
pearl rep, Rick explains that he’s good on inventory and doesn’t need anything
from the guy. The German designer rep
leaves a catalog, which piques the interest of all of the staff in the store. The designs are beautiful and
innovative. Everyone likes what they see. This rep will be welcomed back.
4.20pm: Three
generations of one of Portland’s well known families enters the store. They are in pursuit of a Bat Mitzvah gift for
the young girl. The mother and daughter
peer into the cases and discuss, at length with Rick, different ideas. The grandmother circles the store, stopping
periodically at various cases. (I get
the distinct impression that she’s pretty familiar with their contents.) She has been a regular customer of Larry’s
and feels that the store is in VERY capable hands now that Rick owns it.
4.45pm: A woman who
is in Portland on business from SF enters the store to look at some high-end
Swiss-made watches. She has a certain
model in mind and tries on a few others as well. She’ll be leaving shortly but will return to
Portland in a couple of weeks. Getting
the watch at Packouz is appealing because Oregon doesn’t have sales tax. I suspect she will indeed purchase her watch
from Packouz.
6pm: It’s time to
close up shop. The jewelry is gathered from
the cases and stowed in the safes. In a
matter of minutes, the cases are emptied.
This is a routine that the staff has down pat.
6.15pm: The store is
locked tight, and Rick heads for home only to get ready to do it all tomorrow.
Because of the extraordinary service, Rick has customers
from all over the West – from British Columbia, SF, LA, Seattle, and
beyond. In fact, one customer from
Medford, OR called to purchase a brand of watch that Rick doesn’t carry. Because this customer could go anywhere, Rick
contacts a broker to get the watch for this customer, even though the margin on
the sale will be quite small. Being a
business owner, Rick knows, “selling is the single most important thing because
you have to sell to keep the doors open.”
If selling is fundamental, service is paramount for Rick and the whole
staff at Packouz – something that comes from the Packouz family tradition.
How did Rick come to be the next owner of Packouz
Jewelers? Next week, we’ll explore his
journey.
