Walking inside the beautiful Eddie Lane’s Diamond Showroom in Montgomery feels special. It feels so special that you associate it with the holidays, which is completely true. However, as owner Cindy Lange states, "We are not just a holiday store we are a bridal store. It is so fun to be a part of a young gentleman’s process of getting ready to propose."
Cindy tells of a conversation she had recently with a young couple coming into the store to look at wedding rings. The whole experience was very warm, the couple agreed – one of the simplest yet highest compliments a business can receive.
"A guy should never feel nervous when he walks in to buy a ring. I help them work within their budget and make a good choice. I always tell them ‘Buy what you can buy at the time. You can always upgrade. The priest is blessing the vow, not the ring."
According to Cindy, much of their busyness this summer has been from upgrades from long-time customers. This speaks highly of the rich history and true family heritage of Eddie Lane’s Diamond Showroom. Cindy smiled when she told me that she currently has clients that are grandchildren of her father’s first clients.
"We work together as a team here. There is no competition. We are ardent about customer service," she continues, noting that the team at Eddie Lane’s is extremely devoted. "Other stores have high turnover but not here. Most of our staff have worked here for 20 years or longer. They are highly trained and knowledgeable. They are sales professionals who take their careers, not jobs, very seriously." Clearly, impressive employee longevity says a great deal about how the business is run.
Cindy smiles, noting that they also have a lot of fun at Eddie Lane’s. "My employees are hilari-ous," she says. "We are a fun group of women who have become great friends. We are family, and when customers come in, they sense that. We include customers in the fun and laugher, too, which helps them feel extremely comfortable and cared for."
Many clients have children who have grown up and moved out of the city for work, Cindy points out. "I do a lot of talking on the phone and shooting pictures back and forth to these kids. I was recently working with a client in Washington, D.C., and I assisted him with a purchase. Also, a son of a good friend and customer of my father’s recently proposed to his girlfriend in Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada. We were able to assist him long distance to make that day perfect. He sent photos, and it felt like we were there with them and able to share in their magical moment."
"This business is multi-generational, but not just within Cincinnati. They would rather do business with Eddie Lane long distance than work with a store in their own city," Cindy continues. "If you are in Cincinnati, you need to come in here. It is well worth the drive to Montgomery to see the store and what we have to offer. But even if you are not in Cincinnati, this is the place to shop. Our customers see the value and quality of a purchase made at Eddie Lane’s. There is a lot of competition in this business, but when you start do your homework, there is not another store like this in Cincinnati, and there is no other staff like mine," states Cindy.
New merchandise arrives every single day at Eddie Lane’s. This is no stuffy, ordinary store. It is cutting-edge technology and exquisite jewelry matched with genuine care and a passion for the entire process. "We sell the best diamond studs in the city," Cindy says. "We have always had the best quality and the best price. Our success is built on the foundation of long-standing truths and facts about our store."
Cindy started working for her dad when she was 14 years old. The school bus dropped her off at the store and took her home after work. "We would often stop first and have dinner at Chester’s Road House, especially during the holidays. Those are sweet memories for me. I worked every Saturday throughout high school and college and had to be at the store by 7 a.m. It was not easy, but that instilled an excellent work ethic in me," Cindy recalls.
She bought the business four years ago.
"My dad is retired now, but still comes in every morning and still has the big office. However, he now works for me," Cindy says proudly. "He is 82 years old. He likes being here. It was an understanding that if I buy the business, he can work as long as he wants. That was an easy deal."
Eddie Lane’s opened at a smaller location in Montgomery and moved to the current location 15 years ago. "We are truly a hometown jeweler," says Cindy. "We make our money here and spend our money here. We support our local charities. I feel very fortunate that we have such a long history in the tri-state."
Cindy and her team sincerely thank the people of Cincinnati for the loyalty of generation after generation of clients returning to the store. "I always ask a client what brought them into the store. The answer is consistently, ‘My mom or my neighbor or the guy who sits next to me at work.’’ We love that this business has developed so beautifully by word of mouth. The team here is deeply grateful for that kind of loyalty. Jewelry is a purchase of love and people want to have a good feeling when they make that purchase. That is something we provide here – the entire warm experience."
A purchase of love assisted by a team who love what they do. What could be better than that?
Eddie Lane’s Diamond Showroom is located at 9301 Montgomery Road, Montgomery, OH 45242. For more information, visit www.eddielanes.com.