S UTHERN JEWELRY NEWS
Jewelry News • December 2023
“A Newspaper Dedicated to the Southern Jewelry Industry”
Vol 36 No. 12
1
December 2023
Wirt’s Jewelers: Banking on Success By Wanda Freeman Honoring tradition and embracing change go hand in hand at Wirt’s Jewelers, where thirdgeneration ownership means keeping the vision and the books in balance. Kelli Mayfield - who owns and operates Wirt’s in North Little Rock, Arkansas, with husband Lance - took the long way home before finding her place in jewelry retailing. But signing up for the RJO Next Gen Experience helped solidify her path. “I literally grew up in the business,” Mayfield says. When she was kindergarten age, her mother, Cindy Rouse, began to work at one of the family’s two jewelry stores while her uncle managed the other location. Mayfield recalls riding with her moth-
er to the store and sleeping on the floor in the showcase covers. “I grew up with a lot of interest in the bench - watching my uncle, the other jewelers, the watchmakers, and playing with the tools.” Despite that early fascination, Mayfield went on to pursue a degree in special education - until the program changed. “My uncle had gotten out of the business by then. I was in limbo with my school program, and Mom asked me to come work for her. … There came a sense of pride and desire to grow something my family had built. I later met my husband, and life just fell into place.” Thirteen years into their marriage, Lance left his career in law enforcement and joined Kelli
Wirt’s Jewelers 3rd generation Kelli Mayfield with husband Lance. in the jewelry business. “Seven years now, working together, and we still really like each other!” The stores had been established by Mayfield’s grandfather,
Arkansas jeweler’s photos earn gallery showing
How to set compassionate boundaries with clients By Kristen Baird
Recently, I wrote a piece for Southern and Mid-America Jewelry News about The Importance of Having Patience and Compassion in Your Jewelry Business. In that piece, I outlined how essential it is to be sensitive and flexible to clients going through challenging times, especially through the holidays. However, I also wrote that it’s important to set boundaries and remember that you can’t be everything to everyone. While it may seem that compassion and boundaries are in conflict with one another, they really go hand-in-hand. Without some form of boundary, you will find yourself burning out, which doesn’t serve you, your clients, or your loved ones. Here are my tips for setting boundaries with your clients, while still leaving plenty of room for patience and compassion:
By Paul Holewa Hobbies and interests have defining qualities along with chosen professions. For Craig Underwood, president of Underwood’s Fine Jewelers, photography has gone from a hobby in his late teens to professional, galleryworthy images today. In November, Craig’s landscape photography was part of a local artists’ exhibit at a regionally renowned art gallery near his home in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Alongside the works of other photographers and local artists, Craig exhibited 15 of what he considered his best Arkansas landscape photographs on November 10, at the 12 Pedal Junction Art Gallery in nearby Springdale. “Prior to 12 Pedal Junction Gallery I have only participated in two other art exhibits, one in 2022 and in 2018,” says Craig. “These showings helped to promote local artists. Through these two previous shows I have earned some followership among art en-
Sedric Wirt, who served in the Korean War as one of the “Chosin Few,” soldiers who fought in the Chosin Reservoir Campaign. Wounded and taken prisoner, Wirt
lost both legs below the knee to frostbite during his 10-day captivity. His rehab program introduced him to watch and jewelry repair. Back in the states, Wirt married wife Phyllis at 19 and completed his education in horology through the VA. He was just 21 when they opened their first store and daughter Cindy was born. The store didn’t pan out, and they closed it - but Wirt’s dream persisted. He took a job as a foreman at US Time Corp., and in 1964, opened another store. Phyllis, a seamstress, collected repairs all day while Sedric worked at the plant. “He would come home, eat dinner, and head back to the shop to do repairs all night,” Mayfield says. Please see Wirt’s page 2
Craig and his trusty tripod at the Richland Creek Wilderness Area one of his favorite places to take photos. thusiasts that led to this most recent show at 12 Pedal Junction Gallery, a relatively new gallery with a large regional presence.” Craig’s evolution as a photographer started in the late 1970s when he was gifted with a Pentax K1000 by his father. Produced from 1976 to 1996 by the Asahai Optical Co. LTD., of Japan, the nearly all-metal SLR (single lens
reflex) camera was an affordable entry-level camera. In its day, the K1000 was an inexpensive work horse model that allowed Asahai to compete with Canon’s and Nikon’s F-series SLRs - cameras used almost exclusively by serious hobbyists and professionals. Exceptional optics, however, came with a catch. All of Please see Photos page 18
SJN MAJN Southern Jewelry News
Mid-America Jewelry News
Announce Deadlines Early As early as October 1st, I send out an email to my mailing list detailing my holiday schedule. This includes fun things like trunk shows and promotions, but also deadlines such as the last day to book me for a commission piece and the last day for guaranteed shipping in time for Christmas. I also post these dates on Instagram and Facebook with a fun holiday reel and Please see Baird page 19