D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
February
2009
Diamonds Are Forever
Conner's Jewelers, 63 years in the business, readies to face another Valentine's Day. Plus no sale for Scott Nichols, Memorial Medical Center expands, Birkenstocks to Boot Hill and more.
Mike Conner says he's about as ready as he's gonna be.
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Mike Conner (front) and his staff stand ready for Valentine's Day. (Photo
by Donna Clayton) |
"Well, we're going to have to see what happens, yeah, with this tough economy, but Valentine's Day is number-two now," he says. "It used to be that the biggest holiday for us (jewelers) used to be Christmas, then Mother's Day. Now, it's Valentine's Day, for sure."
While love may always be in season, it's doubtless celebrated with more sparkling gifts that one special day of the year than any other, he says. Walking to his back office, which he's humorously dubbed "The War Room," Conner eyes the glittering goodies that his staff has arranged in glass cases, awaiting the "sweetheart" shoppers.
"This is what it's all about," he says, pointing out the array of diamond necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings. "Like they say, 'Diamonds are forever.' We are primarily a diamond and colored-stone jeweler. Our gift business is always strong; we had a good Christmas. But it always comes down to the diamonds, and that's our specialty."
Diamonds have been the primary focus of this jewelry store for 63 years now. The business was started by Conner's then-mother- and father-in-law, R.O. and Bess Schmitz, in 1946. Schmitz operated the store, then named after himself, of course, out of one storefront, then another on Broadway in Silver City before settling into the current location on Bullard Street.
"We've always been a downtown business, and we like it that way," Conner says. His father-in-law also ran a jewelry store of the same name in Bayard from 1950-1994. Conner bought the business from his in-laws in 1985.
He notes with pride that this family business was the first certified American Gem Society (AGS) jeweler in the state. "We were all registered jewelers. This is my 36th year," he says. "What that means is that you have to pass a yearly exam, a written test." The AGS' seal of approval recognizes honesty and integrity in the business.
Asked what he loves most about the business, Conner answers without missing a beat.
"Our customers," he says with a smile. "We love serving this community. These are good people, and we draw from all around, too: Deming, Lordsburg, Reserve and Glenwood. And we have some sixth-generation customers, people who have been buying from us all their lives and their families have grown up and become our customers. Generation after generation. You get to know people, their whole family story. You know who it is coming through the door. That's precious."
Conner Fine Jewelers has cultivated those customers, too — not just with fine goods and repair services but in its manner of doing business, too.
"We are a credit jeweler," he says. "That means we carry our own financing. Our policy was always local, community oriented. If they worked for the mines, we gave them credit. And it's never failed us."
Conner says one of his business' strengths is his long-tenured staff. Depending on time of year — adjusting higher, of course, for the Big Three holidays — the store employs from five to nine people.
Manny Nanez, who manages the store, has been with Conner for 26 years. Crystal Ortiz has been on board for four.
"And before we had her, we had two ladies who were with me for 26 years each," Conner says. Other "newcomers" on staff have been with Conner for two or three years, including Kristy Rodgers, who handles all things computer, sales maven Nancy Robertson, and Anthony Murillo, who runs the company's trophy and plaque business, the local schools being a major and steady client.
"We like to hire students," Conner adds. "We have given scholarships — we're put 10-15 kids through Western (WNMU). We encourage them to go to school," he says of his younger employees.
While diamonds are the company's bread and butter, Conner adds, the store's other top seller is watches. For years, Conner's has been the biggest dealer in New Mexico of the Citizen watch line. The business also repairs watches and jewelry.
And he is pleased to talk about some of his other gift lines. Rolling up the huge glass doors on heavy wooden display cases, he points out the elegant vases and dishes instantly recognized as Lenox. Conner Fine Jewelers also sells the popular Seraphim angels and Mill Creek Figurines. Conner pulls a huge, elegantly carved moose to the front of a glass display case. A classic. Then he pulls from a glass shelf the bust of a hippie biker dude. While radical in its subject matter, it is rendered with the same sophisticated detail as the woodland giant.
"Same company, new product line," Conner says with a smile.
On another wall, he shows off the variety of Seiko brand wall clocks. Huge and ornate, some of the timepieces are bold with gold details, others more subdued with dark wood. Conner presses a button on one and the clock begins playing music. Some play five different tunes; one has doors that shift and open, revealing moving figures behind them. Conner presses a few more buttons and the whole wall springs to life. Somehow, the songs running over each other do not become a cacophony but a chiming symphony of sorts.
"We must have sold about a hundred of these in the past three months," Conner says of the timepieces, which run from $135 up to $800. "They were huge for us for Christmas."
Ah, but Christmas is past, of course. Now it's time for Valentine's Day.
Conner Fine Jewelers, 401 N. Bullard St., Silver City, 538-2012, 388-2025. Mon.-Fri. 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Close Calls
In the words of the late, great Gilda Radner, "Oh, never mind!" Silver City's Scott Nichols Toyota will not be sold, after all. The intended buyer was not able to meet the automaker's company standards to become a Toyota dealer. Nichols says the business remains fully staffed and ready to serve the car-buying public's needs.
Karen Greenstein, owner of Club 50 Fitness at 3850 Foothills Dr. in Las Cruces, had announced she would have to close her business at the end of last year if she did not find a buyer. But folks 50 and over can heave a sigh of relief and keep sweating. The exercise spot has a buyer who will keep the treadmills turning for those of us "of a certain age." More details coming as the deal closes.
New in Town
Corinne Diaz has opened Corinne's Business Service, a Silver City-based business offering office support to, well, businesses. 388-0926.
Sand and Play Therapy is the new Silver City business of C. Janie Turrieta, offering behavioral health and parenting education services. 574-8895.
Got wheels? Joshua T. Wilson will bring his Silver City-based mobile detailing services to your vehicle, offering complete interior and exterior vehicle detailing. He cleans engines, too! 956-7374.
Two new agents are proudly slinging the mail. Diana Arzaga and Melany Krystine Quintanar have registered as contract mail carriers, both working out of the Silver City PO.
Also in Silver City, Joseph F. Kellerman has opened JFK Productions, a graphic design and video production business also offering photo retouching, Web design illustration and cartooning services. 534-0295.
Amos L. Lash, MD, a physician and surgeon specializing in urology, has signed on with Gila Regional Medical Center.
Patrick Casey has registered C5 Construction, a Silver City-based construction company. 519-8356.
Dr. Mark Bieri, Thomas Gormley, Robert Kolosseus and Susan Gowing have formed the practice of Rio Grande Urology, PA, operating at 2701 Missouri, Ste. A, in Las Cruces. 522-7880.
And Marilyn Bagwell has opened Treasures of Las Cruces, a new women's boutique, at 2001 E. Lohman Ave. in the Arroyo Plaza. The renovated space has a pirate and treasure theme. Also housed in the space are the CPA firm of Bagwell's husband, James, and the financial offices and custom construction company offices of her sons, Brandon and Bryan, respectively. The Treasures boutique is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 524-1249.
Ch-ch-changes
Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces held a groundbreaking ceremony mid-January for three sizeable construction projects that are estimated to cost more than $20 million. The projects will add or renovate some 25,000-plus square feet of property at the medical facility and create around 50 new jobs. The work will expand the hospital's critical care unit, add a third catheterization lab and bring tomotherapy capability to the hospital's cancer treatment center.
La Tienda de Jardin, the Las Cruces non-profit boutique that is one of the main income supports for Jardin de Los Ninos, has moved to larger quarters at 1950 Calle de Norte, in the Onate Plaza, just two doors down from its former location next to Dick's Cafe in Mesilla, out of which it operated for two years. This will allow the charity to expand its boutique presence. La Tienda resells new and gently used goods that are donated by the community and operates with a nearly all-volunteer staff. 541-9746.
The dental office of Dr. Debbie L. Ashida has moved to 1001 E. Boutz, on the corner of Boutz and Espina in Las Cruces, near those distinctive metal palm trees. 526-5671.
The First National Bank of Artesia, which recently bought AmBank in Silver City and has branches in Las Cruces, changed its name to First American Bank as of Jan. 30.
Going, Going, Gone. . .
Silver City's family DMZ is gone. The Neutral Zone, a social services agency offering a safe place for separating parents to drop off and pick up the children they have in common, has closed. Building empty, phone disconnected.
Jude Fiebert, who has owned Jude's Birkenstock Footprints for 25 years in Las Cruces, says she is ready to retire. In March, the store will have been in its current location at 1024 S. Main St. for 21 years. The business, including the building, is up for sale.
Done run out of gas. In Las Cruces, Earl's Buy N Fly gas station at 1900 N. Main St., has closed, but the Earl's Buy N Fly located at 901 S. Valley Dr. will remain open. Manager Frank Fudge says the rise in minimum wage and competition from other stores played a role in the decision. Fudge says he doesn't know if the Main Street location might reopen, but that there's always a chance. The store is owned by Bayard-based Las Cruces Oil Co.
Xoom Juice on Roadrunner, a purveyor of sport- and health-oriented smoothies and juices, has been, um, squeezed out of business. The Las Cruces outlet was the company's first location beyond Tucson, which boasts three stores.