Juggling a family life and having a rock steady business to uphold can’t be that easy. However, Mark Riley seems to do it effortlessly, having a great team behind him that are equally as passionate about jewellery. With one child at school and another on the way Mark Riley has still managed to have a business that is on its way to its fifth birthday. maddog paid a little visit to the man himself to see what has been going on:

MD: What got you first interested in having your own fine jewellery store?

MR: Since I was 10 I was really into stones, I went to the Lake District with my parents and I had a little book on minerals so I had an interest there, but through school and university I never really had a particular interest in jewellery. I was never one of those fortunate people who knew what they wanted to do since a young age, but whilst at school and university I gained some experience in retail and so after I left University I applied for a trainee manager at a jewellers. It was as simple as that, I got offered the job and I thought why not, so my interest built from then onwards.

MD: Will there be any more stores opening?

MR: Not at the moment. We are concentrating on this store, but it is something we have considered. Over the past couple of years we had looked, but with the current climate being what it is, I don’t think that it would be the best option for expansion. We have been doing really well here in Ipswich and our next move will probably be into the electronic world of the internet.

MD: How many brands are you stocking in the store?

MR: We have a few brands at the moment, we also do our own designs as well, mainly diamond rings and wedding rings. We have just introduced Osare palladium jewellery for men and the Fluid silver range. We stock a couple of watch brands, Breil, which is an Italian designed Swiss made brand and we also do Rotary watches. The biggest brand we do at the moment is Lovelinks, it is a bead charm bracelet which is hugely popular just now. In some cases I have known the brands for a while and that is how I have got them involved with the store. Breil, I have known for a very long time and had always wanted them for Riley & Riley. Lovelinks is a relatively new phenomenon so it has been the case of going to trade fairs and listening to customers and what they want and generally looking at what is going on in the market.

MD: What makes Riley & Riley so special?

MR: We are really lucky to have so many independent jewellers in Ipswich. What sets us apart from the other jewellers really is customer service, in the proper use of the term. Our gem and diamond knowledge is second to none and as a gemmologist I make sure that our diamonds have the best possible cut which gives them the most sparkle and represent the best value for money. Everyone who works here is really into jewellery, they love what we do and they really care about what people want. We get a real connection with our customers on a personal level and jewellery is very personal.

www.rileyandriley.co.uk

Words > Kate Southgate