Vincent Anthony Jewelers opens Broken Arrow store
BY KYLE ARNOLD World Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
12/05/12 at 4:14 AM
BROKEN ARROW - Vincent Anthony Jewelers is seeing the sparkle of a younger customer base with its new shop in Broken Arrow.
After 12 years with one store in south Tulsa, owner Lonnie Iannazzo opened a second location at 2601 N. Aspen Ave. a month ago.
And he's discovering that Broken Arrow, full of young families, is a bit of a change.
"We've probably sold more engagement bands in the last month than we do in three or four months over at our other store," Iannazzo said. "That's a great sign because hopefully those young shoppers will come back."
Vincent Anthony Jewelers opened the shop in early November in a former QuikTrip site it purchased next to the Broken Arrow Expressway.
The company's original store at 10038 S. Sheridan Road is tucked into one of Tulsa's most affluent areas, with sprawling homes in an established neighborhood. Broken Arrow, according to U.S. Census data, is much younger.
That, according to Iannazzo, made Oklahoma's fourth-largest city ripe for expansion by a retail jeweler.
"There are only a couple of jewelry stores here in Broken Arrow by my count," he said. "It's a market that is kind of underserved."
Iannazzo pounced on the Broken Arrow building after he learned that QuikTrip Corp. had shut it down to open a larger location across the street. His new property offered a stand-alone location, a major plus for jewelers.
Iannazzo's company worked for months to convert the gas station and convenience store, painting the brick building to its trademark dark green and off-white color scheme, creating a new banner and refinishing the inside to showcase diamonds and gold, instead of candy bars and soda.
"You know it's a good location if QuikTrip was here because those guys really do their homework," Iannazzo said. "And they didn't move because it was a bad spot - they wanted a bigger store."
At 3,500 square feet, the location is large for a jewelry store, but Iannazzo said it's a perfect fit for jewelry retail. The extra square footage has allowed the company to spread out display cases for easier viewing, add a coffee bar for customers and build a children's play area so parents can shop worry-free.
Iannazzo opened his Vincent Anthony Jewelers store 12 years ago at a south Tulsa shopping center before moving to 101st Street and Sheridan Road in 2002.
He had worked in the jewelry business for nearly two decades as an employee and manager at a national retail chain before finally going out on his own.
The store is named after his son, Vincent Anthony Iannazzo. The Iannazzo name, he said, is simply too difficult to spell or pronounce for a successful retail business.
The initial store did well, but Iannazzo said business took off when it was moved to the stand-alone location on Sheridan Road.
He said he has considered opening more locations for years. Broken Arrow was his first choice, but he also considers the Utica Square area in Tulsa as a prime location for jewelry.
"There just aren't any stand-alone corner locations near Utica Square," Iannazzo said. "Maybe someday, but right now we're happy with this new store."
Original Print Headline: Sparkling location
Kyle Arnold 918-581-8380
kyle.arnold@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Lonnie Iannazzo, owner of Vincent Anthony Jewelers in Broken Arrow, stands in his recently opened shop on Tuesday. MATT BARNARD / Tulsa World
Vincent Anthony Jewelers opened a second location in Broken Arrow in November at a former QuikTrip site. MATT BARNARD / Tulsa World
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