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Zorells Jewelry: Creating an Experience
By: Denise M. Hahne, freelance writer,
A many-year dream of co-owners Tim Ell and Keith Zhorela, Zorells Jewelry, Inc. officially opened for business August 1, 2005, their grand opening taking place September 1.
"We want to give customers an experience," says Ell. "Not just sell a ring and get them out the door. No one else is doing what we are doing" Walking into Zorells is an experience in itself. A gazebo and waterfalls decorate the outer yard, luring customers inside where soft music plays in the background, a gas fireplace adds ambience, and track lighting blends with soothing, earth-tone colored walls - all geared to display cases filled with gold and silver, glittering diamonds, and precious gemstones.
"We wanted Zorells to be comfortable, like walking into your living room - to us, everyone is family that comes in here. Besides, it's a family operation," said Zhorela, advising that his and Ell's wives work in sales and his son Jeff shares his skills as goldsmith.
But their dream wasn't realized overnight and took years of preparation, tossing ideas back and forth, finding the ideal location, and finally, in 2004, talking to Dakota Community Bank about financing.
"Our bank referred us to Nancy Krogen-Abel at the Small Business Development Center. She was surprised we had so much done, our location picked and everything," shared Ell. "But we wished we would have known about Nancy before we started all this as we could have used the help."
Thankful for all the SBDC has done for them, Ell and Zhorela said Krogen-Abel helped them visualize their direction, put their information into charts, and prepare the financial documentation they needed to secure the financing that would transform Zorells from concept to reality. "She [Krogen-Abel] made sure we were not set up to fail," said Zhorela.
Another goal of Zorells was to team up with local businesses to provide customers a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The partnership resulted in Zorells' engagement packages which include a gift certificate towards dinner, limousine ride, flowers, and more with the purchase of each engagement ring.
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