Thom Duma Jewelers expanding
WARREN
After having to make some tough renovation decisions, Thom Duma is happy to have Thom Duma Fine Jewelers remain in downtown Warren.
Thom Duma Fine Jewelers is undergoing a $500,000 renovation to make room for more product.
Three years ago, representatives from Rolex went out to all dealers and said they wanted the Rolex experience to be uniform throughout – whether it’s in Warren, New York City or Los Angeles, shop owner Thom Duma explained.
“Rolex has its own environment which includes ceiling, floor, walls, jewelry casing and everything,” he said.
But to make the necessary changes Duma had to find the space to put the Rolex boutique in.
“Every path we looked at was a dead end,” he said.
That was until Duma knocked on the door, next to the shop, of Mark Marvin of the Downtown Development Group.
“Someone was leasing the space [we needed] but were willing to relocate so we were able to re-enter into the lease agreement and lo and behold, and here we are,” Duma said.
The space is directly behind a wall of Thom Duma Fine Jewelers, so the wall is coming down for the construction of the Rolex space.
“With that being there, there is minimal disruption to what’s happening here,” Duma said. “It’s a beautiful thing and a win-win for everybody. Rolex got the environment they needed, and we were able to stay downtown.”
Staying downtown was important to Duma as the store had been in his family in the downtown area since 1957.
“We were one of the founding anchors in downtown Warren,” Duma said. “So we figured, let’s double down and continue being an anchor.”
Duma, himself, has been downtown since 1980, and during his 39 years he said he’s seen a lot of ebbs and flows in the downtown area.
“It has a lot of life in terms of arts and entertainment,” he said. “There are a lot of professional people, and it’s truly a great destination. It’s much like downtown Youngstown, which is seeing a resurgence. So is downtown Warren.”
The addition to Thom Duma Fine Jewelers will allow the store to add a David Yurman section to the store.
Another big change will be the bridal department which will triple in size – the same multiplying that the addition will do for Rolex.
“We are also tripling the size of our repair facility,” Duma said. “Our own on-site goldsmith has just outgrown the space provided for him.”
With all of the added size the renovation is bringing, Duma said he will be looking to expand his team from shop help to associates.
During the interim time that the construction is going on, there is a construction sale.
The store will remain open seven days a week and celebrate a holiday theme each day.
Every week there is a different jewelry feature.
“The neat thing about the sale is ... our brands opened up their vaults and gave us the inventory of their overstocks and discontinued pieces and authorized us to offer discounts,” Duma said. “It’s a unique opportunity for us.”
Duma is also looking forward to the opportunity the expansion is providing his store.
“I’m excited to give back to the city and all of those good things,” he said.
The construction for the expansion is estimated to be completed by April.