When their lease came up for renewal on their jewelry store, Christine Anzell and Jack Levenson saw an opportunity. The lay-out dated back to the previous tenant, and didn’t account for the unique security and merchandising requirements of selling jewelry. “We also run a watch repair business,” said Christine, “and the repair customers would have to pass behind the jewelry showcases, which wasn’t good for security. There also weren’t any wall cases to display the jewelry, and we wanted to show more lines.”

They looked up “retail store design” on the Internet and found the Trio Display website. “We wanted an experienced firm that was close,” said Christine. Showcases are the centerpiece of any jewelry space, and Trio’s design called for eight custom showcases and twelve custom wall cases. “We designed the cases from top to bottom,” said Trio Store Designer Bill Mondigo. “It took some creativity. We had to figure-out how to light the sit-down showcases without exposing the wiring. We ended up making the legs thicker so we could stash the ballasts for the fluorescents in them.” Another challenge was designing access to the radius corner of the showcase, made all the more difficult because a conventional entry requires the section to have a back. Bill eventually solved it by designing a side entry from the adjoining section. Longtime Trio supplier Tanner Construction of Spring Valley, California, fabricated the cases.

“Accessed by swinging doors, the main showcase and cash wrap created a seamless barrier between the front of the store and the workspace and storage in the back.”

The new lay-out opened up the space, consistent with Christine and Jack’s vision of creating an atmosphere that was friendly, warm, while remaining classy.” Security, of course, was paramount, and the new design smartly incorporated the cash wrap and showcases into the schema. Accessed by swinging doors, the main showcase and cash wrap created a seamless barrier between the front of the store and the workspace and storage in the back.

Response to the new look has been overwhelmingly positive. “Everybody has been saying how much bigger the store is,” said Christine. “The new wall cases have increased the number of impulse buys. Before they couldn’t even see the jewelry.”

The Jewelry Box can be found in Lake Forest, California.