Kesslers to open downtown

Jeweler’s 6th store will replace art gallery in Watts building

Kesslers Diamonds will open a store in downtown Milwaukee, taking space in the George Watts & Son building.

The new shop, the sixth in the Kesslers chain and its first in the heart of the city, will open Oct. 1.

Kesslers will lease 2,200 square feet at the corner of N. Jefferson and E. Mason streets, a prominent location across from the Pfister Hotel. The space is being vacated by the Delind Gallery of Fine Art.

The development will bring another wedding-focused business to the 90-yearold Watts building, home to the namesake tableware and gift shop and to Zita Bridal Salon. With its elaborate terra cotta facing, the structure is something of a local landmark.

Kesslers Diamonds founder Richard Kessler said he has long wanted a location downtown but hesitated because the available real estate didn’t fit his template — free-standing stores of 5,000 to

8,000 square feet.

“We had to change our mind-set,” he said Monday.

While the downtown shop will be less than half the size of the diamonds-only chain’s other stores, it will feature what Kessler promises to be eye-popping, “New York style” displays in the location’s large, arched windows.

“When you see what this store looks like, it will jump off the street,” Kessler said. “It is going to be an absolutely amazing presentation.”

Inside, the shop will have fewer engagement rings and more diamond gift jewelry than the other stores. Kessler expects more gift traffic because of the proximity to thousands of downtown office workers and, particularly, to the Pfister.

Also encouraging, he said, is the overall health of the area and such developments as the new Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. office tower, now under construction a few blocks to the east.

“I’m very excited about what’s happening down there and the revitalization

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Kessler had been talking about downtown Milwaukee a few months ago when he happened to get a pitch from Sam Watts, the CEO of George Watts & Son Inc.

“It was a very strange experience,” Kessler said. “We had a board meeting on a Tuesday and we discussed being downtown and opening a (store) down there, and the very next morning I got an email from Sam that said, ‘I’ve got this space that’s going to be available.’ ”

Started in 1980, Kesslers describes itself as the largest seller of diamonds and diamond engagement rings in Wisconsin. Annual sales total about $30 million, Kessler said.

The firm spends close to $1.5 million a year on advertising — including on “blink” ads that last just two seconds — and Kessler is the longtime voice of its ubiquitous radio spots.

Kesslers also is moving beyond Wisconsin, opening a store in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Nov. 1. The company considered suburban Chicago, but decided against it because of the high cost of marketing there. Kessler said Grand Rapids stood out because of its strong growth.

Kesslers’ other shops are in Germantown, Greenfield, Brookfield, Madison and Appleton.

Comments and questions about this section are welcome.

Chuck Melvin, assistant managing editor/business, P.O. Box 371, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0371

(414) 223-5528