b'Harvey and Maddy RovinskyIts not a decision they came to easily, however. when it comes to jewelry trends and styles, which the team attributes Harvey says he doesnt believe in lab-grown diamonds long-termto Maddys keen eye. value and didnt feel comfortable selling them to a client who mightDirector of Purchasing Sandra Moran says the retailer sets not understand that. itself apart by being quick to spot trends and bringing those styles But when a potential customer made it clear she didnt care aboutinto the store. the resale value because she had noBernie Robbins began stocking intention of selling her diamond, theymedallions about three years ago as started to reconsider their stance.well as rainbow jewelry and thin dia-Before they made it official, though,The way that I believed wemond tennis necklaces, before other Harvey and Maddy say they had toretailers really caught on. make sure the move didnt compro- should grow and market was[Customers] come to us because mise their stores culture and integrity.to link our name with Rolex,we have interesting and different Were trying to understand it sowith David Yurman, withthings, Moran says. We have our that we can give an authentic OK toCartier. Then people wouldbrand and then we have all the brands selling it, Maddy says.we think are the best in the industry Another area in which they con- understand we were good atto work with. And because of those tinue to innovate is online.what we do. relationships, we are able to buy The internet has been, accordingHARVEY ROVINSKYand return so that everything looks to Maddy, their biggest challenge as aconstantly fresh and our inventory jewelry retailer.doesnt just sit there.To combat online competition, they hired a digitally savvy market- Always Agreeinging staff and social media team. Theto DisagreeRovinskys give them full credit for movingAnother thing that makes Harvey and the company forward, and they continu- Maddy excellent business partners: They ously pour money into the stores website.can disagree without their relationship By mid-2022, they were in the middledisintegrating. of their fourth website redesign in aboutWe dont agree on anything, Harvey six years, this time doing a full makeoversays, which, ironically, might be the one of the site that will be even more e-com- thing they agree on. merce friendly as that facet of the businessMaddy adds, Thats why the business is continues to grow.good and the marriage is goodyou have Theyre also using Affirm, a buy now,to have an opposite view sometimes to get pay later option for customers, as well asthe balance.ClearSale, which offers e-commerce fraudBoth tend to stick to separate areas of protection designed to addressed charge- businessHarvey focuses on the big-pic-backs and false declines for businesses,ture side while Maddy guides sales asso-allowing Bernie Robbins to accommodateciates and buyingand both understand even bigger purchases online.when to stand their ground and when to Because we were very fashion- andHarvey Rovinsky joined the Bernie Robbins team in 1966 and hasdefer to the other. watch-oriented, [our customer basebeen at the helm since 1992. Maddy joined him full-time in 1994. As Joe Barnard, director of stores for was] getting older. Its not a good thing,Bernie Robbins, puts it: They know how Harvey says. We need to get younger. How do you get youngerto agree and disagree and then still function.[clients]? Were now very much focused on the bridal business. AndDavid Friedman, a partner at diamond firm Louis Newman & Co. how else do you get young clients? When they see your website,who has worked with Harvey and Maddy for 40 years, is also in business they can relate to it. And thats how they come in. with his wife, so he understands how difficult it can be, he says. A great website also helps combat another challenge theyve hadTo see [Harvey and Maddy] work togetherthe mutual respect to face.they have for each other is very unique and very special. They play While Rolex might be a coveted brand, it can cause thresholdoff each others strengths, and they use it to work together with the resistance, Maddy sayscarrying the brand gives some youngerteam; its not just a mom-and-pop store where they just work things consumers the impression they cant afford anything in the store.out together.With their focus on attracting a younger crowd, especially for en-try-level bridal, the website is important for Bernie Robbins to showWere Here it offers more than just expensive diamond rings and Rolex watches. A common question to ask a Retailer Hall of Fame inductee is: The stores adaptability also translates to being at the forefrontWhat sets your store apart and makes it a success? Continued on page 1614 RETAILER HALL OF FAME 2022'