Fremeaus Jewelers Burlington Vermont

Wood, who's looking for another jeweler, says finding "good people" to hire is a challenge. Chittenden County's low unemployment rate is one reason. Another is that the store holds high standards for employees who are going to work with merchandise valued at thousands of dollars. "I've got to know the background of everybody working here," Wood says, "not only because of the economic value of the merchandise but because of the sentimental value, too. We might be repairing someone's grandmother's brooch. Because of jewelry's emotional significance, I need to know that I have people I can trust."

Simon Woodrup (left), JoAnn Wood and Jim Adams consult on a piece of jewelry.

The attention Wood pays to his customers impresses Normand, whose wife was browsing in the store one summer day, looking at bracelets. "One of them caught her eye, and when I went in at Christmastime to buy her a gift," Normand recalls, "Kent remembered what she had been looking at and showed it to me. That's the type of guy he is. I bought that bracelet and gave it to my wife at a restaurant, and she could hardly eat. The glow on her face when I buy her something from Fremeau's is just worth every penny."

Wood says he and his salespeople intentionally create an unintimidating atmosphere in the store. "People are our best advertising," he says. "We try to make it fun for them to come in. We're happy to show them anything they want even if they don't plan to buy. We also try to tell them prices so that they don't have to ask."

Reprinted from www.vermontguides.com