Goldsmith Gallery Jewelers

Mar 17

BILLINGS, MT

In their own words

“When you walk in, there’s a high-vaulted ceiling. The ceiling lowers down where most of the showcases are, and it has a comfortable, almost homey feel. We want our clients to feel at home, and we want them not to be stressed. It can be a pretty intimidating environment for a young man who is looking to get engaged or getting an anniversary gift, to walk into a store like ours. We have a lounge area in the back, where there’s a bar, and we serve wine and beer. We have a 70-inch TV. I can have conversations in that environment about what a customer wants.”

-Jason Thompson

Jason’s Interview with Jason

Jason R

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we're talking to Jason Thompson from Goldsmith Gallery Jewelers. He's the General Store Manager. How did you get into the industry?

Jason T

I was working a job about 12 years ago that wasn't very glamorous. It was hard physically, and growing up, with my dad being an artist, and an uncle that was very appreciative towards the finer things in life, it just seemed like a really good fit. Every time I'd walk by a jewelry store, I’d turn my head and look in the cases. I thought to myself, “I think I could do this.” I started off as a salesperson and started working my way up the ladder.

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Jason R
How did you pick Goldsmith Gallery?

Jason T
I started at a family-owned store prior to Goldsmith in a town on the other side of Montana. I had always heard about Scott Wickham, the guy who owns the store and built the business. I'd always heard about the operation that he ran here in Billings. He had a phenomenal reputation inside of the jewelry industry and within the community. It sounded like a place I wanted to be a part of and it gave me the perfect excuse to come over and see his building that he had built about 10 years ago. When I stopped in, Scott was on the sales floor and I introduced myself. He sat down and interviewed me for about an hour and a half, and the rest was history.

Jason R
What drives you and motivates you?

Jason T
The biggest motivating part for me is I like the idea that somebody can come in and not really know they need a piece of jewelry. Taking the time to educate somebody about the full extent of what a high-end jeweler can offer is very rewarding. When they come into a store like ours, it's another world for them. Getting a chance to see that unfold every single day is one of those things—you sit back and you're just like, “Wow, this is the kind of stuff that makes you want to get up in the morning and show up for work.”

Jason R
How big is your team now?

Jason T
We have 13 people. I keep six sales staff and we have two jewelers. We have an inventory manager, a couple gemologists, we have some bookkeepers, accountants. It's a pretty close-knit family that we have here. It does feel like coming to work with family every so often.

Jason R
What's the feeling like when you're in the store?

Jason T
When you walk in, there’s a very high-vaulted ceiling, but over where most of the showcases are, the ceiling lowers down so it has a nice, comfortable, almost homey feel. The sales staff greet people within 20 seconds of being in the building. We cater towards making sure that somebody is going to have the best retail experience anywhere that they go. Our entire sales plan, our entire culture revolves around that idea.

Jason R
Are there mission statements that your team has?

Jason T
The culture of making sure people are greeted, making sure the best retail experience is at the forefront. All of the stuff in our store plays a key part in different people's lives, at different periods of their lives. That culture really manifests itself in the way that we ask a lot of open-ended questions and try to get to know the clients. We don't do the one and done, we do relationships and we do growing clientele. We want to meet somebody, and we want to be able to help their kids and then their future grandkids.

Jason R
Why do you think people trust you so much?

Jason T
We take our time with our clients. It's not about making the sale that day. If somebody wants to go do research, we will keep all of the information on hand for them, they can go do their own research. At the end of the day, if you allow people to bounce ideas off of you, if you allow people to really explore and exploit your expertise, you're going to be the ones who they gravitate towards.

Jason R
Is there anything else that you think sets you apart from the other great jewelers?

Jason T
Everything that we do. We believe that it doesn't need to fit within the status quo of what people think jewelry is. We go to buying shows, we have such an excellent selection here. Tacori, Hearts on Fire, those are all major players in the jewelry industry that bring something new to the table. They all have different design elements, they all feed into one aspect or another of the diamond industry, or the bridal industry. We want them to be able to experience all of these high key players in the jewelry industry at affordable prices. We don't just go out and buy a bunch of diamonds for our case. We want to make sure that the stuff that we bring back into the store isn't just the most affordable diamond, but it's the most affordable diamond at the highest quality possible in order to provide a client with a real shopping experience.

Jason R
Tell us about some of the in-store experiences that you offer.

Jason T
We want our clients to feel at home, we want them to not be stressed. It can be a pretty intimidating environment for a young man who is looking to get engaged or getting an anniversary gift. We have a little lounge area in the back where there's a bar. We serve wine, beer. We have a few spirits back there. We have a TV. I can have conversations back there in that environment with a gentleman about what he's wanting to purchase, or a young lady who's wanting to get a gift for the husband, boyfriend, or herself. In the case that we don't have something in the store for them, we have two of some of the most talented custom-design jewelers that I have ever seen. Back in the same area, we actually have a CAD station where our clients can sit and have their beverage and relax. We can print the wax model so they can get a physical representation to go along with the 3D renderings. It makes it a modern shopping experience.

Jason R
You do so much for the community. Tell us what's top of mind for causes and community efforts.

Jason T
We sponsor a baseball tournament that is for the Youth League baseball tournament. This whole tournament promotes youth activity and getting kids out of the house and into the sun, staying healthy, they're also a very big proponent of supporting our local hospitals. It's amazing what the nursing staff and the doctors do for the community. Goldsmith Gallery Jewelers likes to be on the front line of that. We try and participate in some public event or public outreach almost every month.

Jason R
Do you have some ideas that you found were really interesting for proposals?

Jason T
We actually get that question quite a bit. It works one of two ways: the guy’s already got it planned out to a T, he knows what he's going to do, and we just need to hit the deadlines. Or there's guys who will ask us, “What do you guys think I should do?” My number one piece of advice for guys who are looking for proposal ideas is the most intimate and one-on-one as possible for you and your significant other. My wife and I, for example - I proposed to her when we were in our living room after we had gotten a puppy. Whether it's cliché or not, it was the most intimate setting that I could think of after I had purchased the ring. The real answer is, after you get a ring, every moment from then on with you and your significant other that is intimate and memorable becomes the perfect scenario for you to ask her, or him, to spend the rest of your life with you.

Jason R
Here's your chance, you can say whatever you like.

Jason T
We at Goldsmith Gallery Jewelers might be a little biased, but we do honestly feel that we have the most to offer anybody in Billings, and in Montana for the most part. It's a store that might seem a little intimidating from the outside. They did everything right when they were building the building, but we have worked very hard to be the most accommodating retail experience that somebody can ask for. Whatever it is that somebody is wanting us to do, we have no problem stepping up to the plate and giving it 100%. If at the end of the day something isn't working for you, it's no pressure. We just like the chance to become your family jeweler.