The new year has just arrived, but we already have folks in here thinking about Valentine’s Day gifts.  If there is a special something that you have wanted to have custom made for someone you love, then give us a call now so it will be ready in time.

Here's a great gift idea! A set of earrings and pendant in 14K gold with diamonds.

In related news, with all the excitement of moving to the new store, Julia and I have not had a vacation in 51 weeks and we are going to take a well deserved break to spend some time with our families.

Julia Newton Jewelry will be closed December 25 and reopen on January 3 for regular service hours.

See you next year!

Happy Holidays and New Year to all of you, thanks again and we’ll see you next year!

Our store is a reflection of Julia and I.  It’s a little laid back, eclectic, and more than a bit artsy.  It’s the exact opposite of a chain store full of demotivated employees working in what is essentially a huge warehouse.  There is a lack of corporate number crunchers and middle management.  There are no gravity-defying markups just so we can have 50% off sales or rush to sacrifice quality in the name of profits.  No CEO’s making millions just for quitting….I could go on, but I think you are getting the point.

Our store is a reaction to the way we see business being done in a lot of the world and honestly, we don’t like what we’ve seen.  Instead of global, we are local, carrying over a dozen NC-based artisans.  Instead of surly teenage cashiers, you get the store owners, that have a serious interest in your satisfaction.  Instead of importing everything we sell from overseas, we make most everything right here in the store.  Instead of cold and impersonal surroundings, you get a pretty decent idea of what our own house is like- with funky music, cool art, lots of natural colors, and even an untidy spot here and there!

We are the kind of folks that do not shop at big box stores unless we have to.  Julia and I have run a store WE would actually go visit.  Even our store shops local!  We purchase items from NC businesses for resale in the store.  We use local businesses to print our advertising.  We support local non-profit organizations by sponsoring events.  We even make a point to order lunch from local owned restaurants rather than big McFood chains.

As the holidays approach, gift giving (and receiving!)  is on the minds of almost everyone.   This year there are several ways you can make a difference to people right here in town as you shop.

• Purchase something made locally to give as a gift this year.
• Shop at a local owned and operated store, there are many in town to choose from!
• Support local charities and causes.  Small, local non-profits are better at getting your gifts directly to the folks that need help.
• Think global, act local.  Don’t just complain, DO something nice for someone, right now.  Even a smile can change someone’s entire day.

As unbelievable as it sounds, as far as we know, we are the only jewelry store in NC with a meat handler’s license.  What in the world would possess us to do such a thing?

Simply put, we have started to make an effort to purchase items made and grown locally.  Next, we began shrinking our environmental footprint, by also adding sustainable living products to our lifestyle, such as reusable bags and up-cycled products that would otherwise be used once then discarded and putting forth more effort to recycle at our home and store.  Julia always grows a vegetable garden and we began sourcing locally produced food to feed our family.

In her searching, Julia  learned of a local-owned source of all-natural Angus beef.  We made several trips to nearby Snow Hill, NC and toured the farm at Nooherooka Natural.  Ollie and Mary Betty Kearney at Nooherooka have been producing hormone-free and antibiotic-free meats from animals humanely raised on grass pastures and fed all-natural, GMO-free whole grains they also grow on the farm.  They provide their customers with gorgeous cuts of meat, vacuum-packed, and quick frozen.

Is it any wonder Julia and I found ourselves filling coolers with ice and bringing back this great beef to share with friends?  Not long after, Mary Betty asked if we would like to sell Nooherooka products in our store and Julia jumped at the chance. We installed a small freezer and had the inspection and paperwork done to allow us to sell frozen meat in NC!

So, come on by and check out the wide selection of all natural beef, whether you need steaks, bratwurst, or hamburger.  We even have all natural pork products!  We have preservative and nitrate free lunch meat, bacon, and sausages.   You can also make special requests for custom cuts.

Here are some of the benefits:

• You will be eating REAL FOOD, prepared fresh by you, without added fillers and by-products, not food engineered to be stored on a grocery shelf for months or under a heat lamp for hours.
• You will be healthier by eating high quality food that is free from hormones, preservatives, and pesticides, which can all cause long term health issues.
• You will be consuming food that was raised in healthful, humane manner and causing minimal environmental impact.
• You will be voting with your pocketbook by shopping local to support your neighbors that care about you, not corporate profits to be gained even at the cost of the health of the very consumers purchasing the product.

So come on by and visit, pick up a beautiful piece of jewelry, drop off a repair you’ve been meaning to take care of, and pick up some locally raised meat for dinner!

However, there are times when it’s a lot of fun to work in a series.  Just like a good jazz musician, we can take a theme and play with it, twist, tweak, and get a little funky.   It keeps things interesting and fun.

Just like snowflakes are the same but different, each one of these rings features swirls in silver, but there is a lot of room for adding some personality!

Of course, we have already been getting orders for special gifts for loved ones.  Today, a husband that has been talking with us since August come in and work out the final details on a gift for his wife using birthstones from the entire family so she will always be able to keep them close by.  What a guy!

Let’s not forget our best holiday seller, customized ornaments for the tree!  Julia has been designing a different ornament for each of the past eleven years.  Each ornament can be personalized with the year or the initials of the recipient.   We have many parents and grandparents that will pick up sets of six or more to give them as gifts for the entire family.  These ornaments are a great, handmade, personalized gift and you won’t have to worry about buying in the wrong size or color!

Our ornaments are handmade in silver by Julia in our store. You can have them customized to your taste. Visit our gallery page and you can see designs from the past ten years, all of which are still available.

]]> http://www.julianewtonjewelry.com/2011/09/saturday-hours-and-holiday-shopping/feed/ 0 http://www.julianewtonjewelry.com/2011/08/its-all-on-sale-or-is-it/ http://www.julianewtonjewelry.com/2011/08/its-all-on-sale-or-is-it/#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:04:47 +0000 Will the Jeweler http://www.julianewtonjewelry.com/?p=226 Continue reading →]]> Come by the store this Saturday from 10-4!  We are participating in the Brentwood Sidewalk Sale.  This will be a great chance to take a look at the new store for those that haven’t been able to come by during the hectic work week.

As a rule, we don’t have “Sales Events” with mega discounts the way a big chain store does.  Don’t be fooled by the hype.  These stores have marked their items up incredibly high so that even a 50% off sale generates lots of profits.  What about the rest of the year when their items are not on sale?  Did something bad happen and now everything in the store is only worth half of what it was yesterday?  What about the day after the sale when prices go back to normal?  What suddenly happened that caused their inventory to double in cost?  Does this mean you are getting taken advantage of everyday there is not a sale going on?  Kinda makes you wonder…..

At JNJ, we have been asked when we will have a sale the answer is “probably never”.  We price our items fairly from the start and don’t disrespect our customers by forcing them to pay inflated costs just because they didn’t shop with us on a certain day.   It just seems like a more honest way to do business and we hope you agree.

Last night we both agreed our break was too short, but we were ready to get back to it.  We really love our job and working together is a great bonus.  Thanks for helping support local owned and operated businesses like ours.