Business & Professional
ENTREPRENEUR
Tapping In
To Somerset
Expanding during the contraction.
Bill Carroll
Special to the Jewish News
I
n a distressed economy with an
uncertain recovery, why did Tapper's
Diamonds & Fine Jewelry open a third
store, this time in the Somerset Collection
in Troy?
Mark Tapper, a member of the Tapper
family's second generation of jewelers, has a
succinct and sensible answer: "If you're not
growing, you're dying!"
Tapper, 29, of Bloomfield Hills, and
his sister, Marla Tapper Young, 32, of
Bloomfield Hills, are excited about the
new store on the second floor of Somerset
North, which opened in September — just
in time for what they foresee as a "big holi-
day season:'
The young Tappers, the children of
Tapper's co-owner and president Howard
Tapper, 62, of Bloomfield Hills, are now
both principals in the Tapper's operation,
and are pumping additional life and enthu-
siasm into the 33-year-old firm, regarded
as one of the most popular jewelry stores in
the Detroit Jewish community.
Challenged By Economy
"There's no doubt these are challenging
times for us, especially the last two years:'
Mark Tapper declared. "But the first half of
2010 was very strong, and we expect the
last two months of the year to be the same.
To help accomplish this, we'll have several
trunk shows, appearances by designers and
other events. We're really focusing on gain-
ing market share from our competitors.
"The store here at Somerset puts us in
one of the premier pieces of property in the
state. Actually, we've been working on and
off for the past 10 years to get the Somerset
location:"
Adds Tapper Young, "Our customers in
the general Bloomfield Hills area, who have
been shopping at our other stores, have
been asking us for years to open a place
out here. We listened to them, especially the
younger customers.
"I agree we're going through challenging
times, so we're offering more moderately
priced jewelry, newer brands aimed at the
bridal market, and we're embracing change
and staying flexible. And, as always, we'll
never compromise a customer's experience
and will continue to offer the traditional
superior Tapper's customer service'
Unique Opportunity
Their uncle, Howard Tapper's brother, Steve,
59, of Orchard Lake, who is co-owner and
vice president of sales, said, "We at Tapper's
believe strongly in the future of Michigan
and the Detroit area, and we're optimistic
about the rejuvenation of the Michigan
economy. We grew up in northwest Detroit
and we're loyal to the region and the state.
"We're happy to take our place inside
Somerset, one of the most prestigious malls
in Michigan. It's a unique opportunity for
our business. Howard always recognizes
attractive business opportunities; it's also
an opportune time for the members of the
second generation who are now in the busi-
ness with us:'
Officials of the Forbes Co. and Frankel
Associates, owners of Somerset Collection,
are equally as happy to have the Tapper's
store."Tapper's is recognized as one of the
top jewelry operations in the Midwest and
we're excited to have the Tapper's family at
Somerset': said David Forbes, partner in the
Forbes Co. of Southfield."We've been work-
ing on this with the Tapper family for a long
time — we came close twice — and we're
glad it came to fruition:'
Forbes said Somerset is expected to
reach 100 percent capacity by the end of
this year."We're adding newer and more
one-of-a-kind stores, which energizes the
center and our customers': he said. "Sales
are up so far in 2010, improving over the
past two years"
Somerset Mall opened in 1969 and
became Somerset Collection following sev-
eral additions in the 1990s; there are now
more than 180 stores and restaurants.
Focus On Customers
Regarding Tapper's reaction to the econom-
ic situation, Howard Tapper pointed out,
"Our company made the necessary adjust-
ments over the past two years in order to
reduce costs, but not affect the customer
experience. Our focus on our customers has
never wavered:'
Howard Tapper, Marla Tapper Young and Susan Tapper at the Somerset store
With business rebounding, he said,
the firm would increase advertising and
various promotional programs to be
announced soon. "We're on television for
the first time, while other jewelers are going
off of it; we also now have 14 billboards
around the freeways, plus the usual news-
papers ads:'
The company spends more than $1 mil-
lion a year on advertising, according to
Howard Tapper.
Growing With The Times
Tapper's Diamonds & Fine Jewelry's other
two stores are in the Orchard Mall in West
Bloomfield and the 12 Oaks Mall in Novi.
The Somerset store, with more than 5,600
square feet of space, was formerly occu-
pied by Bailey, Banks and Biddle. It was
extensively remodeled in a contemporary
design, featuring modern display cases,
video screens, dramatic lighting and spe-
cially designed floor coverings. As at the
West Bloomfield and 12 Oaks stores, the
Somerset location is protected by off-duty
police as part of the staff.
Among the designer names and luxury
brands offered are Rolex, Chopard, Tag
Heuer, Raymond Weil, Roberto Coin,
Judith Ripka, John Hardy, Ippolita, and
Hearts on Fire.
Due to the store's opening, the Tapper's
overall work force increased by about
25 percent, including 15 salespeople at
Somerset, according to Tapper COO Jeffery
Garden of West Bloomfield.
Mark Tapper, who attended Harvard
Business School after getting a degree in
international economics and finance from
Brandeis University, is overseeing Tapper's
business development. He joined Tapper's
in May after gaining experience in the dia-
mond business in New York and opening
a new Louis Vuitton luxury goods store in
Las Vegas.
"My goal always was to return to the
family business:" he said.
Tapper Young, who obtained undergradu-
ate and MBA degrees at Indiana University
and then served as a business consultant,
is manager of the West Bloomfield store.
On-site manager of the Somerset store is
Paul Rujan of Troy; the assistant manager is
Pamela Gaberman of West Bloomfield, who
joined the firm from a management posi-
tion at the Somerset Starbucks store.
Other Tapper's family members in the
business are the Tapper brothers' sis-
ter, Barbara Tapper of West Bloomfield,
Howard's wife, Susan, and her father,
Stanley Berlin, 84, of West Bloomfield, all
working at the West Bloomfield location.
Mark Tapper's fiance, Leora Goldman, orig-
inally from New York, is now estate buying
manager at the West Bloomfield store.
A big assist for jewelers in the sagging
economy of the past few years has been the
gold exchange business; and Tapper's is at
the forefront. There are nine Tapper's Gold
Exchange locations in the suburban area,
with a total of 50 employees. Three more
stores will open soon at out-state locations,
Mark Tapper said.
"Many people are selling gold for instant
Tapping In on page
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November 11 • 2010
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