CLARKS SUMMIT – The old cash register David Banks keeps in a corner of his store is made of brass, marble and glass and left the factory about 110 years ago. It serves multiple purposes inside The Jewelry Room.

The register acts as both a cash drawer and a conversation piece.

It is also a reminder of Banks’ late father and the patience and creativity required to remake an old item into one with a new purpose. The register has been in the store since opening day, in 1976, and was found in a West Scranton storefront when Michael Banks helped a friend clean the place.

“This was in the basement, in a coal bin, covered in dust and dirt and with a tarp over it,” David Banks said. “My father disassembled it and cleaned it.”

The traditional jewelry-store services of sales of new items and repairs and cleaning of existing jewelry are offered at The Jewelry Room. Banks said a growing segment of his revenues come from the customization of jewelry. People bring him items too important to discard but too awkward to wear in their present form.

“A lot of times, there will be a piece that they had forever and they’re not doing anything with it because it doesn’t fit them,” Banks said. “That’s an enjoyable part of the business — taking something and making it completely new and sometimes reinventing a piece.”

The Jewelry Room has always been located at 336 S. State St. and has always been run by a Banks.

Michael Banks died in 2009. His wife and business partner, Martha, stepmother to David Banks and also a jeweler, died in 2010 – the same year David Banks acquired the store. He has worked there since 1999.

Banks is the only employee. A black Labrador retriever, named Haus, keeps him company.

Retail sales are conducted in the front of the shop, while repair and customization work is performed in the rear. Banks shuttles back and forth between the two sides multiple times a day, leaving his workbench whenever a customer enters the shop.

“My hours on my door are generally not my hours of operation, because I have to come in and get things done,” he said. “I’m here later and here earlier.”

About 40 percent of the store’s revenues come from the sales side of the floor, according to Banks. Repairs and customizations account for the rest, including repairs to watches. Watches have fallen out of favor with many young people, as they rely on their smartphone to give them the time of day.

“I wear a watch every day,” said Banks, 47. “And if I didn’t have it on, I’d have to go home and get it.”

He sells a line of battery-operated quartz watches. These are frequently purchased by customers who bring him watches which they believe are in need of new batteries. When the problem requires more than a battery replacement, some will buy a new timepiece.

The store’s jewelry inventory features new items, including a U.S.-made line from the upstate New York firm of Ed Levin, and pieces purchased from local estate sales. Prices begin at $25.

“I generally discount young kids if they come in with their own money and they’re buying something for their mother,” Banks said.

For some minor repair jobs, he charges $10. For others, he returns the repaired item and refuses payment. He considers this smart commerce because a simple job done at no cost can result in a large sale in the future.

“Establishing relationships with people and seeing them come back as repeat customers is a key to business,” Banks said. “They come back. Or their child comes back. Or they come back to buy a gift for their sister.”

Banks uses a Facebook page to market the store, but there is no website. A few repair items are sent to him by mail from relatives or customers who have moved from the area. But just about all of his work comes from transactions made across the three counters in the front of the shop. He believes a physical location is a requirement for his business, even if many consumers now prefer to buy from online sellers.

And, by visiting the store, Banks is able to give change by using that old cash register his father rescued from a basement.

“With jewelry, you can’t feel it, touch it, smell it when you’re buying something from Amazon,” Banks said.

David Banks took over The Jewelry Room in Clarks Summit in 2010, but has worked in the store since 1999. It was founded in 1976 by his late father, Michael Banks.
https://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_David-1.jpg.optimal.jpgDavid Banks took over The Jewelry Room in Clarks Summit in 2010, but has worked in the store since 1999. It was founded in 1976 by his late father, Michael Banks.

Patience required: David Banks works on a ring in the back of The Jewelry Room in Clarks Summit, which he owns. Banks said more than half the store’s revenues come from repairs, cleaning and customization of jewelry.
https://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_Repair-2.jpg.optimal.jpgPatience required: David Banks works on a ring in the back of The Jewelry Room in Clarks Summit, which he owns. Banks said more than half the store’s revenues come from repairs, cleaning and customization of jewelry.
Business has always been run by a Banks

By Charles Erickson

For Abington Journal

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