High Rent Driving Close of Neighborhood Jeweler

They opened 12 years ago with a goal of serving as the family jeweler—and now, with rent costs rising too high, Fawn Jewelers is preparing to close the door on its Martinsville store.

“This chapter of Fawn Jewelers is ending,” said Nancy Leger, who owns the business with her husband, Darrell.

The store opened in 2000, after the Legers had been working in a cousin’s jewelry store. Both brought their own expertise to the business, and decided they wanted to try to make it on their own.

“We both do designs, and Nancy mostly manages,” Darrell Leger said. “We saw how to do this, so we decided to open a store ourselves.”

“We thought it would be easy to open a store since we did everything at the other store,” Nancy Leger added. “We figured, how hard could it be to open?”

The Legers designed their business with certain staples, including unique jewelry styles and an in-house jewelry repair person.

Darrell Leger said he and his wife attend a lot of shows to see new styles of jewelry, and they try to offer the newest pieces they can.

“If something is in the store for more than two years, it is considered dead,” Nancy Leger said.

For example, Leger said, when the business first opened, designers were showing mostly yellow gold, but now, 10 years later, most people opt for white gold. Still, she said, things tend to come back after some time.

“Women come in with rings from their grandmothers from the 1920s,” she said. “And they are still in fashion now. There are classics that are always in style.”

Aside from the different styles, Fawn Jewelers has a jeweler on premises who can do repairs.

“That is not common,” Darrell Leger said.

“Everything is done on the premises, and nothing leaves the store, which is unusual,” Nancy Leger added. “Usually jewelers send out jewelry, which makes it more expensive.”

But a big part of the business, Darrell Leger said, is repairs.

“Every day, repairs keep us up and running,” he said. “Our jeweler said he never saw a store taking so many repairs.”

In addition, Leger said, they recently opened Nancy’s Nook in the store, selling costume jewelry. He said they originally didn't believe it would sell, but were proven wrong.

“We were fixing a lot of costume jewelry, so we decided to sell it too,” he said. “In the first month, it was just a little room in the back, but within two months we brought the products out because it was so popular.”

Leger said they sell scarves, gloves, coats, barrettes and other items in addition to the costume jewelry, although it is kept separate from the rest of the pieces.

“We don’t want to cheapen what Fawn offers,” he said.

Still, despite all these changes and opportunities at the store, Fawn Jewelers is preparing to close its doors around March 3.

And according to Darrell Leger, it all comes down to the rent.

“We have been going over the numbers, and we’re basically working for the landlord and insurance companies,” he said.

But, Leger said, they have ideas for their future, which will include another store with a whole new business model.

“We have a new model, and we think it will be fantastic with a different name,” he said. “We want to look at a new place with an innovative business model.”

“We just have to find a place,” he added.

With them living in Warren now—and growing up in Somerset County—the Legers are hoping to stay in the Bridgewater area for their next store. They had originally chosen Martinsville as they watched the area change over the years.

But, Leger said, the current business was just not sustainable for right now.

“It is so hard to stay in business, and it is a balancing act,” he said. “The rent is the main factor of everything, and if that is high then everything is high.”

“And the rent goes up every year,” he added.

Leger said they had a five-year option coming up, and they determined that staying in the same place for the next five years would just become too expensive.

“So we figured why prolong it,” he said, adding that customers were both shocked and dismayed to hear that the store would be closing.

They have to be out of the location by March 31, but will be closing up shop around March 3.

The decision, Nancy Leger said, was made in January, and customers have expressed their sadness over the loss of the store.

Still, the Legers are looking to the future as they work to get rid of the rest of the jewelry in the store before they leave.

“We can’t insure it after we leave,” Darrell Leger said.

So the store is pushing much lower prices than usual. The prices, Leger said, are normally low, but they are currently selling everything for between 60 and 70 percent off.

“The jewelry is an unbelievable deal right now,” he said. “We sell quality pieces at great prices. It is real jewelry and a lot is well below regular costs.”

“We handpick everything, we don’t sell mass produced items,” he added.

Despite the closing of the store, as the Legers prepare to open another at some point, there are certain values they have amassed that they will take forward to a future business.

According to Nancy Leger, they push the importance of service for their customers.

“When someone walks into the store, you have to address that person even if you are with another customer,” she said. “Everyone knows we appreciate them.”

“You’re coming to our store to spend your money, so we want you to know we appreciate it,” she added.

For the Legers, they can feel good both about selling quality jewelry and providing service for their about 2,400 people on their mailing lists, mostly from Bridgewater, Warren and Basking Ridge.

“I like the fact that we can sell jewelry and feel good about the money,” Darrell Leger said. “I feel good that you don’t get ripped off.”

And Nancy Leger said she is proud of the relationships they have cultivated among clients.

“We want to make sure we take care of people,” she said. “We have wanted everyone in the store to feel comfortable. There is no commission, and we want customers to be waited on by anyone.”

Darrell Leger said they had always wanted to be the neighborhood jewelry store, and are confident they will be back, although the business is difficult.

“We want people to know they get a great deal,” he said. “When you are buying, you have to be able to trust.”

And that is how small businesses will survive, Leger said.

“I think relationships are how small businesses thrive,” he said.