“The hands line up right at 1, which is just perfect,” explains Lars Neilson, a watchmaker at Schwanke Kasten.
Perfection is always the goal for watchmaker Lars Neilson – and it’s been the goal for Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers for even longer.
The family-owned business in Whitefish Bay is celebrating 125 years.
“These are so well made and we maintain them at such a high level that we like to see them handed down to the next generation and that’s what we like to do here, is work on heirloom pieces here at Schwanke-Kasten,” Lars adds.
Owner Tom Dixon says Schwanke-Kasten is one of just a few jewelers to offer repairs right on-site.
“We’ve got the best of the best downstairs. I call them the Elves,” Tom says. “They’re down there working away and doing a fantastic job.”
Tom is proud to represent a family of staff that has always strived to be the best.
“ This is a pin that, in the 50s, we won a Diamonds International Award that was from a nationwide competition,” Tom says, showing off a sparkling brooch. “And we recreated this pin and a couple of other pieces from these old archives that Charlie unearthed.”
Many of Schwanke-Kasten’s vintage sparklers have stood the test of time.
“It’s like stepping back in history… to get one of these wonderfully ornate rings or earrings or something,” says Charlie Dixon, President at Schwanke-Kasten.
Now those high-end pieces are a metaphor for the four-generation business that helped create them. Charlie – Tom’s son and heir – says that success has a source.
“It’s family,” says Charlie. “And honestly, our staff that’s been here that long, some of them have been here and watched me grow up.”
“It’s kind of cool for me, now, to be able to work with Charlie. I’m sure I’m not doing everything right,” Tom says with a laugh. “But I’m trying to give him some space to grow to, to make a couple of mistakes, to be his own guy.”
But Charlie is quick to share that his business model won’t change too much.
Watch: Celebrating more than a century of business.
The trick is to treat the customers like family, too.
“I think part of the big thing is making them feel comfortable enough to come into a jewelry store,” Charlie says. “That can be intimidating in itself!”
Those customers are often celebrating a milestone – an engagement, a promotion or the birth of a child.
“Now they get to wear this piece of jewelry and feel like they have some connection to the past,” Charlie says. “Something that’s special to them.”
It’s a connection the Schwanke-Kasten team feels with every customer.
“When they say ‘you’re part of our family!’ And I kind of… that’s a little odd but I guess! I guess I’ve been with a lot of people for – I’ve been doing this for close to 40 years,” Tom reflects. “I guess you really do build strong relationships with those people – and trust.”
And if you bring something precious to this jewelry store, Lars says you can trust that they’re going to do one thing:
“Make sure we leave everything better than we found it.”
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