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Article: Jewelers find gem of idea to give themselves clout. (Independent Jewelers Organization provides support for independent retail jewelers)(includes tips for independent retailers)(Company Profile)
- Article from:
- San Diego Business Journal
- Article date:
- April 22, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 CBJ, L.P. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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MIDLAND PARK, N.J. - Life in a suburban strip mall can be very lonely for an independent retail jeweler, especially when major discounters and so-called "jewelry exchanges" are competing on prices just a few miles down the road.
"To compete with the giants, the big chains, you have to have strength, and strength is in numbers," said Richard Swetz, a veteran jeweler who owns Chandel Jewelers in the corner of a neighborhood shopping center here.
Swetz said he finds strength as a member of the Independent Jewelers Organization (IJO), a Connecticut-based trade group representing about 900 small jewelers with combined annual revenue of $400 million.
Unlike ...