b'2021 RETAILER HALL OF FAMESINGLE\x0cSTORE INDEPENDENT INDUCTEESDAN \x1b HOPE WIXONHope and Dan Wixon pictured at their store, Wixon Jewelers. Its occupied the same location in Bloomington, Minnesota since 1988 but expanded four times. VisionE ven when Dan Wixon was just starting out in the jewelry business with, according to him, one employee and two showcases, he could envision the luxury experience BecomesWixon Jewelers is today.One thing I knew from the day I opened the store is someday I was going to apply for Rolex and Patek Philippe. I never Reality lost that long-term part of the vision, he says.I started [applying] in the mid-1990s, eventually getting both brands.He opened Wixon Jewelers in 1988 in Bloomington, Minnesota, in the same location it occupies to this day.After four expansions over 30-plus years, and now with doz-THE FIRST\x0fGENERATIONens of employees, the store looks a bit different than it did when the business was selling gold chains by the gram weight: figaro, JEWELERS HAVE SEENdiamond-cut rope, and the magic herringbone, laughs co-owner THEIR BIGGEST JEWELRYHope Wixon.ASPIRATIONS FULFILLEDWe had Black Hills gold and blue topaz and no watch brands, she adds.By Ashley Davis Dan is from a small farming town in the state and had no familial connection to the jewelry business. 10 RETAILER HALL OF FAME \x11\x10\x11\x0f'