b'RETAIL IN DEPTHMonica Chambers, left, and Marc Bridge are co-founders of jewelry e-commerce site At Present. perfectTHE PRESENTFifth-generation jewelry retailer Marc Bridge and business partner Monica Chambers unwrap their new digital venture. By Brecken BranstratorT he industry is full of people whojeweler to its stable of retailers in 2000.From the moment he was tall enough to have a long family history inAnd its leadership ranks include two Na- reach the top of the cases at Ben Bridge, he jewelry, their introductions totional Jeweler Retailer Hall of FamersEdsays, he was handed a rag and a squirt bottle the business often coming at anBridge, who was inducted in 2003, and Jonand told to clean them. early age.Bridge, class of 2010. (See the full list of pastThe family also spent spring breaks travel-This was exactly the case for Marc Bridge,inductees on page 38.) ing to stores and malls across the country. who comes from arguably one of the best- There are now five generations of BridgeBy his early teens, Bridge was selling. known families in the retail jewelry world.family members in jewelry, including MarcStarting really at the age of 14, my par-Ben Bridge Jeweler, after all, has served fineand his sister, Lisa, who was named CEO ofents threw me in an oversized suit and put jewelry customers since 1912, eventually gettingBen Bridge in late 2018.me out on the sales floor and said, Go sell. the attention of Warren Buffetts BerkshireAnd, just as the story usually goes, MarcNobody ever told me it was strange to buy Hathaway, which added the family-ownedgot tossed into the deep end early on.an engagement ring or a Rolex watch from a 32 RETAILER HALL OF FAME \x11\x10\x11\x0f'