Sara Beth Brown Prendeville With Brown & Co. Jewelers

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by Kennesaw State University’s Executive MBA program, the accelerated degree program for working professionals looking to advance their career and enhance their leadership skills. And now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, CSU’s executive MBA program. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Sarah Beth Brown, who is the president of Brown and Company Jewelers. Welcome.

Sara Beth Brown: Thank you. Thank you for having me, Lee.

Lee Kantor: Well, for those who aren’t familiar, can you tell us a little bit about Brown and Company?

Sara Beth Brown: Yes. So Brown and Company was started by my father in 1974. So we are celebrating our 50th anniversary, and we are Atlanta’s premier jewelry destination in both Roswell and Buckhead. We service everything you may be looking for within the jewelry world, whether it’s watches, diamonds, fashion, jewelry, custom design, you name it.

Lee Kantor: So can you share a little bit about the backstory? What inspired your father to get involved in the jewelry business?

Sara Beth Brown: Well, let’s see, I grew up in the industry and ever since I was a little girl, five years old, was on the sales floor and would be helping run around during the holidays. Every summer. I worked here and I went to college at Auburn and decided at the end of my college career that I wanted to remain in the jewelry industry, but wasn’t necessarily certain. I wanted to stay in Atlanta, And so I went off and did my own thing for a few years, worked at a jewelry company in San Francisco and then in New York. And then before I knew it, I ended up coming back here to Atlanta in 2013. I love the industry, and I’m so glad that I found my way back home to my family’s company.

Lee Kantor: So was that done on purpose? Cause I know a lot of family businesses send their children off to learn from other places around the country before they come back.

Sara Beth Brown: That is a great question. And I think a lot of people actually assume that it was done intentionally, but it really wasn’t I. I really didn’t know if I was going to come back to Atlanta. I was ready to head to, I don’t know, Paris was on my mind on my radar at the time when I kind of started getting the phone call from my sister when she was recruiting me back home. So to be honest with you, no, it was not intentional, I. It all worked out as it should. You know, I had a wonderful experience and learned a ton that I would not have learned otherwise. That really allowed me to bring a lot back to the table when I came back to the family business.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you share a little bit about the jewelry business as maybe from a macro standpoint? What separates kind of good jewelers from great jewelers?

Sara Beth Brown: You know, it’s so easy to focus on quantity over quality. And I think that’s where we make the difference here at Brown and Company. I, we our team is extraordinarily particular about what we have on our showroom and what leaves our doors. And, you know, that’s a main difference. And also the fact that we are independent and family owned, that we bend over backwards for our customers and our customers become clients for generations. And, um, I always say that I will not let a product leave this store, that I would not be proud to wear myself. Um, and it’s really a testament to our customers understanding that it’s quality over quantity here. And we take a lot of pride in that. And I think that that differentiates us from everybody else.

Lee Kantor: So how do you curate kind of what goes in the store. How do you kind of scour the world to find what is going to be, you know, the classics, what is going to be the next hot trend? How do you kind of navigate those waters?

Sara Beth Brown: Um, another great question. You know, we go to a number of different jewelry shows around the world each year. And I, we draw a lot of inspiration from those shows. Um, a big one being in Geneva and Las Vegas and New York. Um, and, you know, I feel like every year we are getting better and better at curating our collections. Um, whether or not that has to do with our Browning Company core collection, like you said, the classics. Um, or where we’re looking for something a touch different. But, you know, that’s something that we know our clients would love to adorn. It’s not to way outside of the box. But you know, one advantage we also have is that we do a ton of custom jewelry. So we know that even if we’re inspired at, um, you know, one of these shows by a certain designer, but we’re not ready to go all in. We can still draw inspiration from that and create our own pieces for our customers. That makes.

Sara Beth Brown: Sense.

Lee Kantor: So how does that work? Like, if I’m a potential customer and I’m thinking, I’m not sure what I want exactly, but I want to work with someone to kind of create a unique piece. How does that kind of conversation go? How does that working arrangement go?

Sara Beth Brown: Yeah, so it’s a ton of fun, honestly. Um, so the customer, you know, comes in, we typically start by. I mean, it depends if you have an idea in your head, we start there. Um, or if you’re like, okay, I maybe have a family heirloom that is very sentimental, but it’s a, it’s completely outdated. Um, something I’m not going to wear. I mean, there’s there’s a ton of, uh, different situations that may come about, but we typically start to look around the store, um, look in the showroom and kind of draw inspiration from those pieces that we have. And then we will sit down. We’ll gather a couple pieces that we like from the showroom and then really just start talking. And I, you know, I’m no real artist, but take a pen to paper and just sketch out a few little ideas, and then we’ll work with our master jewelers and, um, and come up with a concept and essentially it will become it will become reality. We, um, do everything in house, including our CAD and our, um, gemstone setting and our polishing everything. Um, so, you know, the customer can be as in, deep into the process as they want, or a lot of people just trust us and say, okay, like, if that’s the vision, I know you can make it happen. I, I trust that you know what I want, and we we do it. Um, the process once, once we have approval from the customer, it takes about, um, anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks, usually on the four week side, just depending on how detailed the product may be.

Lee Kantor: So, um, what does your ideal or who does your ideal client look like? Are they kind of first time buyers that maybe this is the first engagement ring they’ve ever purchased, the first big kind of jewelry purchase? Or are they kind of celebrities or executives? Who is that ideal client for you?

Sara Beth Brown: Um, to be honest with you, we’re we love when anybody walks through our doors. Doesn’t matter who they are or where they come from. Um, you know, yes. I think when somebody walks in for their first time, that is incredibly exciting for us. Um, we love to learn. Why did they come in? How did they hear about us? And really expose the Brown and company culture to someone for their first time? That is really something we get so excited about. Um, internally. But, you know, our ideal customer is somebody that is, um, you know, they’re looking for a jeweler, they’re looking for a lifelong jeweler and a lifelong relationship. Um, and, you know, hopefully they’ve heard good things about us, and that’s why they come in. But I think another leg up that we have is that we can offer something of everything, whether it’s designer jewelry, the diamonds, like I said, maybe it’s a state jewelry, maybe it’s a jewelry repair. Um, and you don’t know who to trust. You know, I and we have a, um, a very full, in-depth, full service department here. And, um, our shop has windows where you can watch our jewelers work on your product. And, you know, I always say we if if you couldn’t trust us, we wouldn’t be here for 50 years. So I think that’s also something that we can offer to people that may not even be ready to take that first step for themselves into investing in a piece of jewelry. They may have something that they need repaired. And that’s, um, another reason a lot of people will step into the door and, and then we hope, hope from there that we’re able to, um, to expand upon their knowledge in the jewelry world and, um, understand that they can trust us.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there any advice you can share with maybe other women owned business owners who are in a male dominated industry? Is there anything so far you’ve gleaned, or anything that maybe you feel is now a unique selling point for your team and company?

Sara Beth Brown: You know, it’s interesting. I was asked this question, um, not that long ago, and I said, you know, it’s funny, I am a woman in a male dominated industry. However, I think you just have to put your head down and work hard and not think about being a woman in a male dominated industry. You just do what you do and you don’t. You don’t need to look around you and see, okay, what is this competition doing? Or what is this doing? You know what’s going on in this other market that you understand what your visions and your goals are, and you don’t let anything get in the way or anything become a distraction. Such as, you know, maybe other males in the industry that you think may be doing bigger and better things. But the truth of the matter is that that’s not always the case. So don’t waste your time trying to, um, just, you know, kind of think about being that only woman in the male dominated industry. Just really keep your head down, work hard, build a good team around you. It’s all about the team. And, um, continue to do the right thing and things will things will come around and things will eventually work your way. No matter. Work out your way, no matter how long it might take. Just don’t give up hope.

Sara Beth Brown: All right.

Lee Kantor: Well, how about if we reframe that to not just a male or female, but when it comes to family owned business, how do you keep your team and especially the leadership team that maybe aren’t part of the Brown family? How do you keep them motivating, knowing that they’ll never kind of, uh, sit in the big seat?

Sara Beth Brown: You know, I like to think that my our management team. They are. I mean, really, our entire team is pretty much a part of my family is what it feels like and we treat them that way. I think that that is an opportunity for us, that we’re not this big corporation. We’re not owned by private equity. You’re not treated like just a number. Um, and that will never change. We have no intentions of ever changing being independent and family owned. Um, but, you know, if you were to be a fly on the wall at one of our management meetings, um, I think that you would understand how we collaborate from one another. We have all grown up in our own roles. We are constantly challenging one another, and I am ensuring that no matter what, they are happy in their workplace, they are feeling fulfilled by the work that they do and that they are compensated competitively within our market. That’s something I’m always looking at. Um, and that, you know, I always say life is short. So when you’re with Brown and company, give us your all. And we in turn will give you our all. And we’ve had a multitude of employees who have stayed with us for 15, 20 plus years into retirement. And we’ve also had multiple employees who have left us and then come back, which I think speaks volumes. So I think it’s all about the way you treat your team members. Um, and also the way that you empower them. I mean, yes, I came into this position, um, you know, by working hard and, and again, trying to do everything I know to do the right way. But this company wouldn’t be where it is without its leadership team. And I try to remind our management managers of that all of the time that we wouldn’t be here without them. And, you know, I hope that they, um, believe in that and believe in our vision and know that if they give us their all, we’re going to give them our all as well.

Lee Kantor: Now, for someone who’s out there shopping. You mentioned that there’s a lot of jewelers that are really part of private equity, that ownership is maybe more opaque than yours is. Can you explain kind of the benefits of going with an independent like Brown and Company versus one of these, um, more corporate, more, um, national firms?

Sara Beth Brown: There’s a lot of reasons. Um, I mean, first and foremost, you know, we are here in the store making decisions on at that very moment. So a lot of customers will come in and they may have a request that no one’s ever heard of before. But we like to try to never say no. And also we don’t have to go through layers upon layers. And, you know, not to mention the time that that takes to get to whoever may be at the top making those decisions. Um, our management team is empowered where they know that we want to have big dreams and let our customers have big dreams and that we make them happen. And I believe that being able to make those particular moments happen in real time is a game changer. Um, you know, we are essentially you walk in you if you want to talk to the ownership, you can talk to the ownership, you know, um, and so not to mention that being independent, we have relationships that we have had with all of our vendors for decades. And not to mention that designers that have wanted to work with us, that, you know, they know our reputation, they know that we are good people in the industry, that maybe if we start working with them now, that that those vendor relations will go on for decades as well. And so that those relationships, they actually benefit our customers as well, because we are able to essentially negotiate on behalf of our customers to ensure that we are getting the best of the best product that may be above and beyond the quality of product that that that that vendor typically delivers elsewhere, if that makes sense. So I mean, those are just a few examples, but I think the fact that we’re real people, it’s not this, this corporate, you know, black and white atmosphere, it is very, um, organic and genuine. And, um, you know, we have a culture here that we hope our customers can experience every time they walk in.

Sara Beth Brown: Is there a.

Lee Kantor: Story you can share? Maybe somebody came to you with an idea or this was a meaningful piece and you helped them create a memory?

Sara Beth Brown: I have a lot of those, um, I’ll say one that comes to mind. Um, and it’s, you know, it’s sad, but also bittersweet, um, that I had a customer walk in, um, her mom had passed away a few years prior, and she had a an idea that she wanted to do something with her mom’s handwriting and make. But make a beautiful piece of jewelry, not something that you can kind of get off, you know, like Etsy or something. Um, so I asked her if she had I needed a copy of her mom’s handwriting. And so her mom had this quote that she always wrote on the bottom of any note she wrote to her children or her husband or, you know, any, any birthday card, whatever. And it said, I love you so. And it was in her handwriting. And so what we did is we made these really beautiful, um, kind of like a bangle, yellow gold bangle bracelet. I’m sorry. And on that bracelet, we, uh, hand engraved and did identically to the mother’s handwriting. I love you so. And we did it for that woman. And we did it for her siblings as well as other family members down the road that also wanted it. And I’ll tell you, when we delivered that bracelet for the first time, um, I mean, there were a lot of tears shed, and, I mean, she still talks about it, and that was probably, I don’t know, five plus years ago, but that was a really special one. And so we’ve done a lot of things that have been very sentimental for for families that will become family heirlooms.

Lee Kantor: Well, if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, is there a website they can go to look around or some connections on social media? What’s the best way to connect?

Sara Beth Brown: Um, so yes, our website is Browne jewelers.com, and we do have live product there so you can shop on the website. I’m also on Instagram and it is Browne underscore Sarah Beth and I’m as active as I can possibly be, but I love getting DMs and try to write back in a timely manner. But that’s a great way to connect directly with me.

Lee Kantor: Well, sir, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Sara Beth Brown: Thank you Lee. I appreciate your time.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.