b'TOM DIXONWe dont really care so much about experience [when we hire]. WeWe get to know our clients. We know their kids. We know their care about personality, and thats really the difference maker. The bestwives. We know their birthdays. We know what theyre celebrating, retail salespeople generally are outgoing and upbeat and positive.when their kid had a baby. We know all that, and its not in a database. He says there is little turnover among staff at his store, unless anWe actually know it. We live with them. Were in the same community. employee is retiring or moving out of state. It boils down to treating Charlie Dixon, Toms son and now the president of Schwanke- everyone like family. There is camaraderieKasten Jewelers adds, We call Milwaukee amongst his team; they are knowledgeable andSmall-Waukee because everyone seems to only be empowered to make decisions.three degrees of separation here and not six.Its good to have had the opportunity to[Tom] is veryEveryone seems to know everyone somehow. observe how he interacts with both his clientspragmatic. The and his staff, says Heidi Cook, senior businessMORE THAN A JEWELRY STOREdevelopment manager of Suna, the North Ameri- great thing aboutIn addition to selling jewelry and watches to can distributor of Platinum Born and a vendor todealing with himMilwaukeeans, Tom is active in the community. Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers.He has given lectures on geology at local high He makes everybody feel as if they belong, as ifis theres noschools, coordinated events with watch brands, they are important. His attention to detail and hisgray area. He isand given back through philanthropic initiatives memory of details of those clients, not only purchas- like Beyond the Blues, which aims to improve the es but their families and their legacies, I think is onequintessentiallives of people who suffer from depression, and of the things that really has made a difference in thePearls for Teen Girls, which works to empower business at Schwanke-Kasten for decades.Midwest.young women in Greater Milwaukee.Cook adds, He is very pragmatic. The great Heidi Cook, Suna In 2021, Tom continued his commitment to com-thing about dealing with him is theres no graymunity with the addition of a second floor on what area. He is quintessential Midwest.was once the roof of Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers. With a knowledgeable staff comes a solid roster ofConstructed with financial assistance from the returning customers.Whitefish Bay Business Improvement District, the second floor has Cook says Schwanke-Kasten is a well-oiled machine, with a staffa lounge, full kitchen, bar, dining room, office, and patio, providing whose rapport is apparent, from the bench jewelers and watchmakersspace for a more personal shopping experience, community events to the marketing and salespeople.like concerts and dinners, and even proposals by VIP clients.We know 80 percent of our customers very well. We have relation- Tom worked on the design with Sommerville, Massachusetts- ships with them. We dont come in here and stand behind a counter. Werebased architecture firm La Dallman, which was co-founded by Toms not clerks anymore. Thats where retailing has really changed, Tom says.longtime friend James Dallman, a design critic at the Harvard Graduate Continued on page 1614 RETAILER HALL OF FAME 2025 The current Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers is located on East Silver Spring Drive, just a few doors down from where the first store once stood.'