NATIONAL JEWELER 27 BGK Graphics 62 West 47th Street, Suite 1508, NY, NY 10036 800-522-4065 • info@navadee.com Please visit us at the following shows: Luxury Las Vegas - Salon LUX1113 May 29 - June 3rd, 2019 JCK Las Vegas - Salon LUX1113 May 31- June 3rd, 2019 have a very large retail operation with the ability to do your own manufacturing, and the purchasing power to be able to buy from the largest sources in the industry and largest sightholders in the diamond business.” Judy says their respective skill sets work so well because, despite working in physical proximity for decades (their desks are mere feet apart), they allow each other figurative room to flourish. “We respect each other’s talents instead of trying to compete with each other,” she says. “He’s so good at what he does with diamonds—I don’t even think about competing with him on that. And he respects me for what I do with all the designer buying. He doesn’t question it; he’s very supportive.” THE ONLY WAY IS UP Padis Jewelry opened a second store a mere three blocks from the San Francisco Jewelry Center in the San Francisco Gift Center Diamond Mart in 1990, then a third store in the same building. With their proximity to Silicon Valley, Judy, a self-pro- claimed “computer geek,” stayed tuned in to technology trends as computers became a regular part of the American household. “My first website was in 1996 before anybody was doing jewelry websites,” she says. “Having young kids also really helps [in keeping up with technology].You have to be so with it now, and I think the kids have exposed me to a lot.” “You have to be dynamic,” Steve adds. “If we tried to stay doing what we were doing, I know we would be out of business. You have to be relevant today; you have to have a seamless connection online and in-store.” Fast forward to 2015, Padis Jewelry pivoted in a new direc- tion—north. While their previous locations had been in San Francisco for decades, they decided to move further afield, opening a store in St. Helena, California. It’s located in Napa Valley where, in true Padis fashion, Steve and Judy have more than a jewelry store. They embraced their love of wine by opening their very own vine- yard in the valley’s Oak Knoll region in 2008. (For more on PadisVine- yards as well as other jewelers who have expanded into wine and spirits, see the feature “Jewelers Uncork New Opportunities” on page 32). Of the company’s openness to change, he says: “You’ve got to be willing to change on a dime.You have to have the ability to switch, to move, to change direction because if you try to stay and do the same thing, you will not be successful in today’s market. Every day is a new day.” Opening the St. Helena store wasn’t the biggest development in the Padis’ recent history, however. Daughter Alexis Padis joined the company a little over a decade Padis Jewelry carries some of the top names in the watch and bridal businesses, including Los Angeles- based brand Tacori. Continued on page 28 JUDY AND STEVE PADIS