Justice Jewelers expands to Arkansas

The longtime Springfield diamond merchant plans to open Justice Jewelers in Rogers, Ark., around Sept. 1.

“We’ve actually been looking at this area for the past couple of years and finally decided that the time was right for us,” said Justice, who established Justice Jewelers, 3520 E. Battlefield Road, in 1982.

He’s already come to lease terms for a 5,600-square-foot storefront in a busy shopping center near exit 85 off of Interstate 540/Highway 71. He said 65,000 cars travel through that area daily.

The region’s increasing bustle led Justice to northwest Arkansas. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the population of Rogers alone jumped from 24,692 in 1990 to 44,885 in 2004.

The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan statistical area was ranked seventh on the Milken Institute’s 2005 Best Performing Cities for job creation list; it was first in 2003. The institute noted that the region has had the third-fastest growing wages in the country during the past five years.

Wal-Mart, J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. and Tyson Foods are based in the region, which is home to 312,000 people with a $4.8 billion effective buying income, according to the Northwest Arkansas Council.

“It’s a demographic (area) very similar to Springfield,” Justice added.

Justice is well known for radio ads in Springfield, when he tells listeners, “I wanna be your jeweler.” Justice said he hopes to carry that over to Arkansas, noting that the market offers competitive radio advertising rates.

Also, like Springfield, northwest Arkansas has a large college population, led by the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Justice is confident his new store can tap into the college market with bridal sets, a hallmark of his first store. Bridal sets account for 40 percent of his Springfield sales.

“If I can’t take at least $4 million or $5 million a year down there, then it’s not worth going down there,” said Justice. He wouldn’t disclose his annual sales in Springfield, only saying they were significantly higher.

He, in part, plans to hit his projections by selling jewelry at a wider price range than other jewelers in that area.

“We … have always tried to democratize jewelry,” he said. “We try to make jewelry available to a broad segment of the population by offering things from $49 bucks to $49,000.”

If the new store is successful, Justice said, he would build a freestanding store there in six years.

Natural State

While often recognized for its natural beauty, the state of Arkansas also has a history with diamonds.

• The diamond is the state gem.

• Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Ark., is the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public.

• In March 2006, a flawless, crystal-shaped yellow diamond was unearthed at Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Source: Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism[[In-content Ad]]