Erik Runyan Jewelers (ERJ) is America’s Coolest Jewelry Store, according to INSTORE magazine, the jewelry industry’s most trusted and respected publication.
INSTORE’s judges evaluated jewelry stores based on their backstories, interiors, exteriors, marketing efforts, online presence and what INSTORE calls “the most important intangible: individuality.”
Winners were placed in one of two categories: Big Cool (six or more full-time employees) and Small Cool (five or fewer full-time employees). ERJ was awarded the Big Cool and will be featured in the magazine as well as on the cover of the August 2019 edition.
The award, available to retail jewelry stores throughout North America and the Caribbean, has been awarded every year since 2002 and represents “creative approaches to doing business as well as aesthetically-pleasing retail environments.”
When I saw a photo of an inverted canoe chandelier hanging from Erik Runyan Jewelers’ 18-foot ceilings in Vancouver, WA, I wanted to meet the people who put it there,” said Eileen McClelland, managing editor of INSTORE Magazine. “What draws me to ERJ is not just the canoe. It’s their spirit of adventure, the sea and wide-open spaces are reflected in the store design and ambience … It’s the special sauce of their individuality.”
“When Leslie and I were planning the interior design of our new store, we came across a light fixture in Portland we loved, a hollowed-out canoe hanging upside down from the ceiling, with lights mounted inside,” said Erik Runyan, owner of ERJ. “We finally found a handmade wooden canoe for sale atop a houseboat on the Willamette River.”
Later, the canoe-chandelier set the tone for the store’s nautical-inspired theme next to the Columbia River as well as the basis for a branding campaign.
Erik Runyan Jewelers also features an operational ship’s wheel, plank wood flooring, welcome aboard sign, custom compass rose wood floor medallion, Runyan’s father’s refurbished, turn-of-the-century jewelry cases, the original cash register and safe used by Runyan’s great-grandfather, W.L. Runyan. ERJ represents four generations and 100 years of quality customer service in the Vancouver community.
Nominees were encouraged to tout their store’s community outreach, and digital presence, as well as what makes their staff cool and how that translates into exceptional customer experiences.
Finalists were selected by INSTORE editors. Judges for the competition, included experts in store design, merchandising, jewelry designers and retailers with an extensive knowledge of the broader business community. They rated stores on their story, exterior, interior, branding and individuality.
Runyan’s great-grandfather started it all from a watch bench in the bus depot in the early 1900s, where the Pacific Coast Highway stopped at the Columbia River for the ferry crossing. In 1917, Runyan’s Jewelers was born.
“Leslie, myself and our crew are extremely proud of this ‘Big Cool’ award. We all strive to give our customers a truly unique in-store experience with contemporary jewelry techniques while honoring our history,” said Runyan.
