Kerrville, Texas — As retailers rethink the role of physical stores in a more connected, convenience-driven marketplace, James Avery Artisan Jewelry® is introducing a new retail experience designed around what cannot be fully replicated online: personal service, product discovery, customization and a sense of place.
The family-owned jewelry retailer will debut its new store experience at Schertz Station in Schertz, Texas, near the brand’s Hill Country roots and along the fast-growing I-35 corridor between San Antonio and New Braunfels. The location gives James Avery a close-to-home market to introduce a more open, intuitive and design-forward expression of its stores before applying key elements across future locations.
The new concept reflects a broader shift in retail: physical stores are no longer just points of transaction. They are places where brands can build trust, offer service, introduce storytelling and help customers make more confident purchase decisions. For James Avery, that evolution centers on a jewelry store experience that feels easier to navigate, more visually open and more connected to the moments that bring guests into stores — finding a gift, building a charm bracelet, discovering a new design or continuing a personal tradition.
“Guests still value the ability to see a piece up close, try it on, personalize it and talk with someone who understands the meaning behind the purchase,” says John McCullough, chief executive officer, James Avery. “Our new store experience is designed for the way people shop today: with more choice, more intention and a desire for service that feels personal and useful.”
The Schertz store introduces James Avery’s “Modern Hill Country” design direction, blending the brand’s Texas heritage with a cleaner, feminine, more contemporary retail environment. Natural materials, including real stone, wood, limestone-inspired textures and handmade tiles, are paired with an airy, neutral palette that keeps the focus on the jewelry. The result is a warmer, more refined store environment that feels rooted in place without leaning nostalgic.
The layout is designed to support a more fluid shopping journey. More product is displayed along the walls to create an open sales floor and make browsing easier. Large-format digital screens, designated storytelling areas and layered material details help introduce guests to new releases, seasonal collections, personalization options and the brand’s history in a more visual way.
The design also brings the James Avery experience into view, with select product care elements partially visible from the sales floor. Store fixtures were designed with a nod to woodworking and craft, reflecting founder James Avery’s background as a woodworker and the company’s long-standing connection to thoughtful design and material quality.
The investment comes at a time when retailers across categories are reassessing how stores can do more than fulfill demand. For many brands, the next phase of brick-and-mortar is focused on service, experience, flexible merchandising, digital integration and spaces that give customers a reason to visit beyond immediate purchase. Recent retail analysis has pointed to physical stores entering a new phase defined by relevance, service and stronger in-person experiences rather than scale alone.
James Avery’s approach reflects that shift. “Retail remains one of the most important ways people experience James Avery,” says Karina Dolgin, chief product and revenue officer, James Avery. “Our stores give guests a place to explore, ask questions, personalize designs and connect a piece of jewelry to a moment in their lives. The goal of this new experience is to make those interactions feel more open, simple and meaningful.”
Following the Schertz location, James Avery will continue to implement the new design model in stores across the country, starting with its new Forney, Texas, location at Village at Gateway, Commerce Square store in Brownwood, Texas, and The Palms shopping center location in San Marcos, Texas, in fall 2026.
James Avery is a vertically integrated, family-owned company offering finely crafted jewelry designs for men and women. James Avery The multi-channel retailer has over 140 James Avery stores in seven states. Its jewelry is also available at www.JamesAvery.com, at 284 Dillard’s and Von Maur locations across 36 states, www.Dillards.com and www.VonMaur.com. James Avery also sells its designs at airport stores in Houston and Nashville.
SOURCE: James Avery Artisan Jewelry