Hugh Harby is the president and owner of Harby Jewelers on the 14th floor of the SunTrust building.
WHY CHOOSE
THAT LOCATION?
“We’ve always been downtown. We’ve been upstairs in the SunTrust building since it was built in 1975. Before that, we were in the old Atlantic Bank building. The downtown environment is more professional. It’s an educated consumer. Quality is important to them so it fits with our style of business. We considered moving but our customer base is Southside, Riverside and the beaches so we don’t have a way to be more centrally located.”
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS?
“We’ve been around for three generations. Families have been buying from us, dating back to the early 1900s.” Harby’s uncle and grandmother formed the company 75 years ago. In the early 1960s, Harby’s father revamped the business by merging with another jeweler, Herbert Meyerson. Now that Harby’s father is retired, he runs the operation with his wife Cindy, who handles advertising and marketing.
HOW DO PEOPLE FIND OUT ABOUT YOU ON THE 14TH FLOOR?
“We don’t get people just walking by. We work by appointment but it’s not required. Most of our new customers come by way of references, word of mouth. I also do some selective advertising. This is definitely a destination location. A large percentage of our sales is similar to that of many retail operations in that we depend on regulars. Repeat business is where most of our sales are. We see fewer people [than other retailers might] but we have a high sales ratio of people that buy instead of browse. Customer loyalty is a big part of this business. The most important sale is the engagement ring because that’s where it starts. Then they come back for birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries, so where we’re located is not a significant priority.”
DESCRIBE YOUR MERCHANDISE
“Our inventory is geared towards middle to upper quality lines of jewelry. We tend towards traditional, classic styles. I feel that jewelry is too expensive to follow trends that come and go. We want our patrons to enjoy it and pass it along to other family members. We don’t deal too much with ultra-modern designs.”
HOW IS THE
BUSINESS DOING?
“Over the last 25 years, we’ve experienced steady growth. Sales over the last 10 have shown a reduced level of growth, but it’s consistent. We looked at expanding to another location but we don’t have any interest in an organization that’s open past 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. We like having family time.”
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THE COMPANY?
“To see it continue is the long-term goal of any family business — it doesn’t even have to be our family.”
WHAT’S YOUR
SALES APPROACH?
“To educate the consumer on the different aspects of purchasing to consider. I’ll show them an example of high, medium and low quality and explain how that’s reflected in the price so they can make an informed decision. I’m not a high pressure salesman. We work with you to find out what you’re interested in. If you don’t know, we’ll empty the safe. The consumer often buys something that they didn’t come in for so I try to show them everything.”
WHAT’S CHALLENGING ABOUT YOUR WORK?
“In our profession, you have to keep information you know to yourself. You’re often the first to know when someone gets engaged. You have to keep secrets or something may be said to the recipient. It’s a mistake I’ve made before.”
EDUCATION
Harby has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Florida. Later, he graduated from the Gemological Institute of America as a gemologist.
WHY GO INTO THIS LINE
OF WORK?
“I started working at my dad’s shop in the summer months when I was home from college. Then I took correspondence courses from GIA. That’s where my interest developed. I enjoy the gemological side of it; it’s a fascinating study. I also enjoy the historical side of it. Some families have been buying from us for so long that we’ve developed one-on-one relationships.”
HOW HAS THE
INDUSTRY CHANGED?
“When I first got in the industry, the very flashy, ornate designs were popular. Today, styles are more understated, not as big and bold. People want to wear jewelry every day, not just for formal occasions.”
HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT FROM YOUR COMPETITORS?
“First, we try to inventory a much larger selection of merchandise. Second, we try to select better quality, better made products and price it aggressively. In the mid- to late- 1970s, there was a move towards discount jewelry and a lot of jewelers tried to compete. We shifted in the opposite direction and went more upscale. I found there was little competition in Jacksonville for that particular grade of product.”
HOME AND HEARTH
A Jacksonville native, Harby and his wife reside in Mandarin with their daughter Emily. His son Brad attends UCF.
WILL YOUR SON FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS?
“He worked for the first time here this summer to understand the business, but I’m not sure he knows what he wants to do.”
HOBBIES
Waterskiing, boating, snowskiing and golfing are his favorite leisure sports. He also enjoys action or comedic movies, classic television and dining out.
— by Monica Chamness