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Rob and Ben Simon were selected in the "Inspiring Independent" category of WatchPro USA's recent publication. Read their article below:

Father-and-son team Rob and Ben Simon celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of Windsor Jewelers’ second store earlier this year. The boutique, in Charlotte, North Carolina, has grown and improved in that time, and sits in the company’s portfolio alongside the original store in Winston-Salem.

Ben grew up surrounded by watches; his father Rob founded Windsor Jewelers in 1986, just one year after Ben was born. “As a kid, I grew up helping out during the holiday season with gift wrapping, cleaning cases, etcetera,” Ben recalls. After spending some time in China, Ben returned to the States and moved to New York. There, he worked first in the Omega boutique on 5th Avenue and then later in a Breitling store. When he returned to North Carolina, he joined the family business and is now vice president, offering support to Rob in his role as president. He also has a family of his own now, with his wife Jade and their daughter, as well as Zissou, “the best dog in the world”.

Looking back over the past year, Ben says he is most proud of the company’s financial performance. “Our biggest professional achievement over the past 12 months is delivering another profitable growth year between our two stores during a period of economic cooldown,” he says. “Good people are everything, and we feel that we have some great people on our teams.” 

Ben is passionate about the role of independent jewelers in the watch market, and feels strongly that stores have to offer a best-in-class experience for customers. “Brand expectations are higher than ever in terms of luxury selling, and we must be able to deliver the experience that these brands expect,” he states. “While we see a continued trend of brands becoming more vertical with their own boutiques or franchise-partner situations, we very much believe that multi-brand retail and independent retailers still form the core of the jewelry and watch industry.” DM

You can read the entire publication HERE.