was made to get off the road and
establish a permanent location for
buying gold, silver and coins. The
intersection of McCain Boulevard and
Highway 167 in North Little Rock,
Ark. was the place to be at the time.
It was there in October of 1980 that
American Gold & Silver Exchange
was born out of opportunity.
they supplemented their income by
buying scrap gold. Christmas of 1980
provided the opportunity to add one
showcase of gold chain. Buying new
gold chain by the kilo, American Gold
& Silver Exchange entered a new
profit center: retail sales.
wholesaling gold dipped leaves to
Dillard's, Mercantile and Wal-Mart.
The profits from this opportunity paid
off all the business debt.
gave rise to expanded showcase space
filled with jewelry and diamonds. Word
began to spread. The Robersons' offer
great prices and they are good people.
phone and the man on the other
end said, "I have an opportunity for
you." By now, opportunity was a
familiar friend. The man explained
that the reputation of American Gold
and Silver Exchange was giving
rise to this new opportunity. The
Robersons were given first choice to
open a second store in the prestigious
Heights neighborhood of Little Rock
assuming the location of the Little
Rock establishment, Cave's Jewelers,
when they closed.
Gifts opened across the Arkansas River in the
Heights of Little Rock. With the new location
came a new client base which provided more
opportunity. The opportunity included bringing
strong international brands to central Arkansas.
with J B Star, in 1991 Roberson's began to
add more international brands to the mix
including Breitling, John Hardy, Konstantino,
Hearts On Fire
offerings and made statements that permeated
the state defining Roberson's as a premier store
providing quality with integrity.
Society after many of the supplier members
insisted that AGS and Roberson's were a great
fit. This provided even more opportunity with
the integrity that AGS represents.
synonymous with quality in fine jewelry,
opportunity called again in 2007 with the
invitation to relocate to the Pleasant Ridge
Town Center in West Little Rock. Ever mindful
that the ZIP code of the Roberson's client was
moving further west away from the Heights,
the difficult decision was considered.
questions than answers. The two primary
questions were, "How did we get here?" and
"Where are we going?"
sound business acumen and insight into which
opportunities to take coupled with his ability to
manage gross margin and a talented sales team
had gotten Roberson's where it is. Roberson's
built a reputation for being the best in service
and offering fine quality jewelry. Roberson's
leadership.
answered by Trish who had a vision for
a new Roberson's. The new Roberson's
would be built on clearly defined
principles and international vendors
already synonymous with the Roberson's
brand--while maintaining the focus on
the three words that frequent the word of
mouth and formal communications about
Roberson's: quality, service and integrity.
developing new inventory management
systems, transforming the hiring and
evaluation process, reorganizing the
staff, expanding the marketing focus
and relocating the store. Things began
to happen quickly and by August of
2008 the ball was rolling. With the
recession in full swing by December,
the Roberson's began to question their
decision to seize the next opportunity.
about the economy. A staff member
expressed the fact that in this economy
most businesses would be pulling back.
Silence followed and Trish Roberson
broke the silence, "That will leave more
room at the front. Let's go for it!" With
that the fate of the company was sealed.
their management team, and marketing
approach in what is now known as the
worst recession in American history
since The Depression. The outcome?
Sales are up 50% for the year. Three
new team members were added to an
already outstanding staff. A beautiful
new store was designed by Garry
Mertins. The management systems
Gem Lab is now managed by Roberson's Staff
Appraiser, Bob Herr, CGA. And, more than
850 new customers have chosen Roberson's
for their jewelry needs.
Jeweler, statements are again being made
about Roberson's. Statements about the
new store's design, the broad offerings of
designer jewelry and the improved systems.
Statements foretelling of Roberson's ever
expanding opportunity to influence Central
Arkansas for years to come. The result of two
opportunists working together over the past 30
years focused on quality, service and integrity.
He has worked with Roberson's for the past
year assisting them with staff development,
inventory control and marketing. He customizes
solutions for growth and succession planning.
He can be reached at 501-545-0189.