Jeweler’s Shop Sparkles Modestly Amid Rest : Teresa Saldivar has built her Santa Ana business since its 1985 on a theme of <i> calidad y servicio siempre</i> .
Compared to the blinking red neon lights of the other jewelry retailers on the block, Teresa Saldivar’s jewelry store seems modest. Almost hidden away at the corner of 4th Street and Broadway, the brass letters and gray painted storefront of Teresa’s Jewelers are not flashy.
Saldivar credits her small store’s seven years of success to its commitment to customer service.
Catering to Orange County’s Latino community, Saldivar’s motto is calidad y servicio siempre --quality and service always. It’s the quality of $150,000 worth of constantly updated chains, watches, religious medallions and diamonds, and attentive service that draws customers from as far as San Clemente and Dana Point, she said.
Many new customers are referred by her established clientele, said Saldivar, who always tries to educate shoppers about the items they buy. She and her staff explain how merchandise should be cared for and how the items are valued.
Another service for regular Teresa’s Jewelers customers is cashing payroll checks. But in a tough economy, she has had to be more cautious about this practice.
“Some of the companies my clients work for are closing and the checks are no good,” she said. “So we’re trying to be more careful with that.” Saldivar said she is active in the store’s collection efforts, even knocking on doors herself, and has kept the credit losses to about 3%.
“Like all businesses we have our rules, but if we can help someone out, we bend (the rules) to accommodate our clients,” said Saldivar, who requires customers to have been in the United States at least two years before granting them a line of credit.
Before opening her own store, Saldivar, 40, worked for more than 10 years at the Latino-owned jewelry chain, Azteca Jewelry in Santa Ana. Working up from salesperson, to manager and eventually to buyer, she learned all she could about the jewelry business.
In 1985, Saldivar found she wanted more control of the decision-making process, so she decided to open her own store. She was bored by the limitations placed on a buyer. “I wanted to buy what I liked,” Saldivar said.
Her family loaned her $40,000, which covered a down payment on the 400-square-foot shop on Broadway, where the store began, and $15,000 in start-up costs. Saldivar was able to establish credit and receive thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry on consignment. Her father painted used showcases that Saldivar bought at a discount, along with a used safe and a steam cleaner.
Saldivar’s family still contributes to the daily operation. Both of Saldivar’s sisters are employees of the store. Patty, the younger, used her 10 years of bookkeeping experience from Azteca to develop the initial cash-flow charts of operating expenses and continues to manage the books. Martha, the older, handles personnel part-time. Saldivar’s parents also pitch in by cleaning the store once a week.
Like the home of a large family, customers constantly stop by Teresa’s Jewelers--sometimes to shop but more often to chat. Women and children are always present, but Saldivar said that 70% of her customers are men.
Dealing with customers is among the things that initially attracted Saldivar to sales and away from her nursing studies at Cal State Fullerton.
Saldivar, who frequently attends trade shows and seminars on customer service and gemology, received her state gemologist license in June. She also encourages her employees to do the same and often sends them to seminars.
But running her own business hasn’t been without its sacrifice. “I didn’t realize how much time it would take. I couldn’t go out with my friends like I used to,” Saldivar said.
More difficult was the fear she experienced when business leveled off after her first holiday season. “It was my store. I was responsible for it. I got the blues after that for about two or three months.”
Despite that brief period of lower sales, Saldivar said that Teresa’s Jewelers has grown by 20% annually to reach gross sales of $650,000 last year. She hopes to expand her clientele to include more workers but doesn’t want her store to lose its neighborhood intimacy.
Eschewing advertising, Saldivar counts on three big in-store promotions--tied to Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day--and charitable giving--such as donating tiaras, clocks and watches to community organizations--to help give her store exposure. “If someone asks me for something and I can do it, I will,” she said.
Such investing in the community has the added benefit of positive public relations--Saldivar is often mentioned in the local Spanish-language press. She has supported local labor unions, senior citizen groups and area beauty pageants. Last fall, Saldivar was honored by the Southern Orange County Chapter of the YWCA for her philanthropic efforts.
