Another Show

We are on our way to another show.  We will be leaving Thursday morning for a six hour drive to Kansas City, MO.  William, Lucas, Nadia, and I will drive together and Mike and Priscilla will drive separately.  We normally would follow each other down but not this year.  I think it is because the old folks, just kidding, take to many pit stops. Our weekend will consist of meetings and play.  When we get there, Thursday, Nadia and I will probably go to the pool or the fountain that is within walking distance of our hotel, hang out in the water, get a tan.  The guys will get things in order and have a little meeting on where to go on the first day of the buying show.  Then Friday I am going to be honest I am not sure what is going on.  I know that there is a golf outing later in the day but before and after that I am not sure.  Then Saturday the fun begins.  Priscilla will take Nadia for us and I will go to some seminars without the boys while they go to their own.  I am really excited to go to the Key Note Speaker on Sunday.  Sarah Smith from Sarah's Hope Jewelry is the Key Note Speaker.  She is so fun.  She is a really good friend of mine and very inspirational.  I can not wait for it.  Then the show will open right after that and Let the Buying Begin!!  We will be very busy the rest of the day in meetings with vendors and buying jewelry.  Then more buying on Monday and a couple of meetings.  Monday night there will be a final dinner for Vendors and Retailers.  They always have some sort of entertainment.  Last summer they had dueling pianos. Then the wonderful driving trip back home on Tuesday.  This weekend will go by really fast but it will be fun and a nice change from the regular 10-6 day in the store.  When we get back I will post some pictures of us at the show and let you all know things we bought.

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Bellevue, Iowa

I am saddened by what happened this weekend in Bellevue, Iowa.  We here at Doland's are keeping everyone involved in our prayers. 

Not many people know this but Doland's first began in Bellevue.  Mike started the business there right on the riverfront before moving the store to Dubuque and later opening in Davenport.  Mike and his wife Priscilla still live in Bellevue today.  
William and I were going to go this year with our little girl Nadia.  The reason we did not is because I am originally from Dyersville, Iowa and I wanted to do Dyersville's this year.  We have been going to Bellevue for the past 4 years and this year last min we decided not to go.  We could have been there.  We could have been ones of those families.  
I feel so bad for everyone involved and I pray for everyone!

July is here!

July is here and there has been lots going on here at the store.  We have been cleaning house first off.  I was here the other day in my grubby clothes and I got rid of lots of empty boxes.  You do not realize how the boxes add up until you start breaking them down and they seem to be never ending.  We recycled it all too.  Then we went through all of our old displays and kept the newer, nicer looking ones and got rid of the old ones.  We are in the process of getting all new displays for the store.  We just can't seem to agree on a style or color.  When I say we I mean William, Lucas, and I (Crystal).  I think I should just pick them all out because I am a woman and I have an eye for something like that. :):)  But in all honesty the boys have really good taste in stuff like that also and they know what colors will make the diamonds look the best and not washed out.  There are really big bulky items that were downstairs that William and Michael went through and got rid of.  So in essence it feels like we are starting off new with a clean store.  It is just great.  The store is doing great also.  This year has been awesome for us and I would like to Thank everyone that has made that possible for us.  So thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!!!!!!!  I will hopefully be blogging more this month because there is so much going on.  WE have shows going on.  We are preparing for a PANDORA trunk show.  It is going to be fun this summer.

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I just uploaded some of our new products from Debbie Brooks!!

JCK Las Vegas Buying Show

Well we went to the JCK Las Vegas Jewelry buying show this past weekend.  We flew out Friday night and got to our hotel around midnight.  Our rooms were not available so they bumped us up to the presidential suite.  Just for one night though.  The next two nights we stayed in just the standard rooms.  

The first day of the show we woke up and headed down about 9am.  This was my first Vegas show.  I have been to different shows throughout the US but I was told that this is nothing like the other shows.  I was told to prepare myself for how BIG this show was.  We got to the buying room floor and man oh man was it amazing.  It was probably 20 times the size of a big Bridal Fair.  There was one room with over a thousand vendors and then there was another room below that with the same amount and that was not the end of it.  And when it come to what vendors were there, EVERYONE.  There was everything; store displays/fixtures, wrapping paper/jewelry boxes, repair tools/custom design programs, and the actually jewelry itself (loose gemstones/diamonds, handbags, jewelry already made up).  Each vendor has a booth.  They can have a standard 10'x10' booth or some vendors like PANDORA Jewelry have a whole room the size of our store.  It was just jaw dropping.

While there we did go to the PANDORA booth (room).  We had to meet with our rep to talk about upcoming PANDORA events and merchandise.  We were introduced to Michael Lund the creator and owner of PANDORA Jewelry.  Not what I pictured.  I do not know how to describe what I pictured but he was not like what I thought he would be.  He is tall, really tall. Michael Doland (Doland's Owner) is 6'7" and he was just as tall if not it was darn close.  Really nice guy with a great accent ;).  We got our picture taken with him.

Lucas Doland, Michael Doland, Michael Lund, Crystal Doland, William Doland

We also met with some new people.  Lucas Doland is right now going to GIA (Gemological Institute of America).  It is located in Carlsbad, CA.  He met up with us at the show and a couple of his friends came with.  One of his friends, Jeremy, was really good at making conversation with anyone.  We were taking a little break having a bite to eat when we saw Gabi Tolkowsky (the world's most renowned diamond cutter) walking by.  Jeremy went up to him and started talking to him.  The next thing we knew we had a 20min conversation with him on diamonds and life in general.  We got to hold in our hands the world's first properly cut brown diamond.  Gabi, told us all about how brown diamonds trap light in the stone and have to be cut differently then white diamonds in order to make them sparkle.  He told us how he came up with the different facets a brown diamond needed to have and where they needed to be placed to make a brown diamond "shine."  It was one of the highlights of the show.  

Mike, Lucas, Gabi, William

Then to top it all off we got to meet Debbie Brooks from our Debbie Brooks Handbags that we carry in both of our stores.  She is so nice and down to earth.  She had just as much fun showing me all of her new products as I was looking at them.  She really has a passion for all of her artwork and an enthusiasm to be right in the mix of things with her customers that, I have found, you do not find in all designers.  It was a great time. (And in the picture, she made the guys all hold one of her handbags:):))

Lucas, Mike, Debbie Brooks, Will, Crystal

So to wrap up, we did get a few things new for late summer early fall.  This show was more to look at what is out there and what was new in the world of jewelry.  We have two or three more shows we need to get to this year and will be buying even more at those shows.  We do like to here from our customers and what they find interesting and what they would like to buy, see in our store.  You can email us at dolandjewelers@qwestoffice.net.

Let's Go Shopping

 Featured in our June Newsletter was this little article.

Mike, William, and Crystal Doland will be crisscrossing the country this summer checking in at the jewelry show venues of Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Washington DC.  They will be searching for new fall stock and the latest trends.  We invite your input and special requests.  We want to know what you're looking for!