Breitling watch:Polacheck's thrives on giving best experience
Steve Polacheck, now celebrating his 50th year in the jewelry business, owned a succession of retail operations before opening the first Polacheck's in 1989.
Editor's note: National Jeweler's Retailer Hall of Fame honors jewelers who have made significant contributions to American jewelry retailing. This is the second of three articles profiling the 2009 inductees.
Calabasas, Calif.--On a recent Thursday afternoon at the Polacheck's Jewelers flagship store in the idyllic Southern California community of Calabasas, Martin Furtak, a longtime customer, studied the contents of the Rolex showcase, his eyes gravitating to a 38-millimeter "Datejust" model in steel.
"I was going to get a [Rolex] 'Milgauss' at 42 millimeters, but that seems too large," said Furtak, a finance executive from nearby West Hills. "I've been buying Pateks here for six or seven years. They stand behind their products."
At the next showcase, another watch enthusiast, Ken Le, a partner in a local accounting firm, also admired a lineup of Rolexes.
"I buy a Breitling watchhere every other day," Le said, presumably joking. "Not because I need one, but because I like the people."
Both men's loyalty can be traced directly to owner Steve Polacheck. Half a century after he joined his father in the family jewelry business, a humble single-store operation in Glendale, Calif., Polacheck has grown into one of the country's leading jewelers, with a three-store chain of upscale salons that have earned him a spot in National Jeweler's Retailer Hall of Fame in the multi-store independent category.
Occasionally, Breitling watchhowever, Polacheck still feels like a newbie in the business.
"Just when you think you know it all, you find out you have to start practically from scratch," he says. "What applied in 1965 isn't even a thought at this stage."
The Breitling watchbiggest shift has been in consumer knowledge levels, Polacheck says.
"In 1965, there was no such thing as Rapaport," he says. "Consumers would base their decisions on the integrity of the store's name and the service. Today, in big metropolitan areas, [customers] know the pricing of diamonds as well as the salespeople. Breitling watchThe big profits are gone; now, it's all based on volume."
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Breitling watch:Polacheck's thrives on giving best experience