My wife Ellen and I went to the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland last weekend because she needed a battery for her watch and wanted to get her wedding and engagement rings cleaned. We went to jewelry store Ben Bridge since they were quite friendly and helpful when I went there a few months ago and they fixed my watchband.
Store Manager Janet Chapman served us. Even though she could tell right away from our questions that we weren't there to buy expensive jewelry, we got terrific service. When we asked her to clean the rings, Janet insisted on inspecting the settings to make sure that the diamonds were secure. When she thought one of the prongs holding a diamond might be loose, she took it over to a special microscope for a more thorough inspection. Although she didn't find anything wrong, we were impressed that she took the initiative and offered a service that we hadn't requested - I cannot recall the last time that I've had a similar level of service in a retail store.
After she looked at the ring, we chatted and she told us all about her 23-year career with Ben Bridge and how much she loved the company. She also mentioned that Warren Buffet from Berkshire Hathaway bought Ben Bridge a few years ago. But, she said that the Bridge family, now in its third generation, still runs the business as if it were there own.
Janet said that she has had lunch with "Warren" a few times and he comes across as a humble, funny, and smart guy without any airs. He certainly understands the jewelry business. At a Berkshire Hathaway meeting, Buffet said, "If you don't know jewelry, know the jeweler." In keeping with this philosophy, Janet explained how the ethics of the Bridge family inspire them to offer the best possible products at the lowest prices. Furthermore, employee Ben Bridge diamond buyers are experts since they've been doing their jobs for years. And, since they work for such a reputable company, diamond sellers give Ben Bridge buyers their best products since they know that they'll get fair prices with no product returns. Evidently, a lot of stores have buyers who will purchase twice as much product as they need and then demand that diamond merchants buy back the inventory that doesn't sell.
Although Ben Bridge is located near four or five other jewelry stores, we wouldn't go anywhere else. And, we'll rave about the store to our friends just as we are doing in this entry.
