James Avery Craftsman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Avery Craftsman is a private company that designs, manufactures, and sells jewelry, primarily Christian in theme. Founder, James Avery, started the business in 1954 in Kerrville, Texas out of his two-car garage with about $250 in capital. The business has grown to about 200 independent retailers and 50 of its own stores in Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. The James Avery jewelry collection carries 1,100 designs and 14,000 pieces made in sterling silver, 14-, 18-karate yellow and white gold, and gemstones.

History

In the first year of business, Avery sold $5,500 worth of jewelry, and $7,500 the following year. He eventually moved his thriving business to a studio he built in his house close by. By 1957, Avery created his first catalog consisting of 16 pages and 39 items for sale. Also within the year he hired his first employee, Fred Garcia. The business continued to spread throughout the state of Texas with items being sold in clothing boutiques and church gift shops. By 1965, the jewelry store was incorporated into James Avery Craftsman, Inc., and soon after in 1967, Avery bought 20 acres (81,000 m²) of land where the corporate headquarters would soon stand.
By the 1970s the company employed 35 people and generated $400,000 in sales. In 1971, Chuck Wolfmueller, a student at the University of Texas working on a master's degree in business, was hired to help take the jewelry business to the next level. Wolfmueller initiated a number of changes and the business saw a 40 percent increase in his first year of employment.
The first retail store was established in North Dallas in 1973.

References

1. ^ "James Avery enters Colorado market", San Antonio Business Journal, July 22, 2005, http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2005/07/18/daily36.html, retrieved March 7, 2010

External links

• Official Website