Schneiders Jewelers
290 Wall Street
(845) 331-1888
In 1928, Gustave Schneider opened a jewelry store on Broadway, near UPAC. His son George moved the shop uptown in 1949, and it’s been there ever since. The store is still run by the family– owners Tom Jacobi and his wife Deborah are third generation—and doubtless some customers are third generation as well. But while Schneider’s is solidly traditional—ten of its 14 full and part time staff have worked at the store for more than 20 years—it’s no anachronism: last year, the store underwent a major renovation, and its small but luxuriant store windows—elegantly decorated for the holidays with frosted miniature Christmas trees and toy Victorian houses draped with necklaces and bracelets—are a testament to its on-going success. The plush, pale green carpet, polished paneling, bright but subdued lighting, and artfully displayed jewelry and gifts are a throwback to the era when shopping was actually pleasurable—leisurely, measured, a balm to the soul.
“People enjoy shopping here,” Jacobi said. “We try to maintain the world that used to be, in terms of ethics and how to deal with customers. We are a member of the American Gem Society, which requires you to be a one-price store.” At the same time, he said that the business has put in new lines of merchandise to draw in a new base of customers. An example is Pandora, a “fairly new line of bracelets and links that’s taken the industry by storm. It’s a great price point, and you can add to the collection, so it’s a constant-giving gift.”
Schneider’s still has a robust bridal business: examples of silver, crystal, and china from Holloware, Botanic Garden, Waterford, Swarovski and other fine brands are displayed behind floor-to-ceiling cases in the separate gift room. The store stocks both high-end Hearts on Fire diamonds and colorful fabric Vera Bradley bags. “It’s a constant battle to find the right mix,” said Jacobi. “We can’t price ourselves out of the market. We need to focus on attracting younger people who don’t know the history of our store, are internet savvy and travel.”
Besides having the right product mix, Schneider’s is also big on service and employs a couple of experienced gemologists. “We do a very big repair business,” said Jacobi. “We have three people in the shop who do engraving, stringing and sizing. We make our own jewelry.” Schneider’s also does lots of advertising as well as e-mail marketing. It has a website, with many of its products depicted on-line. Word of mouth, however, is still a powerful persuasive tool.
For 26 years, Schneider’s had a second location—first at the Hudson Valley Mall, then on Ulster Avenue. But in 2008 Jacobi consolidated at the Uptown location. “I care about Uptown,” he said. ‘It’s a great asset to the community.” He was able to retain most of the employees and invested in the new renovation, which included new casing, lighting and carpeting.
“People would love to shop [in Uptown] if they had a reason,” Jacobi said. “I think it can happen. We have to get people to shop the way it used to be, people want that.” Visit their website http://www.schneidersjewelers.com
