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"The Mart" in Atlanta

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waterman13

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 28, 2011
Messages
4
Hi! Thanks for everyone's help so far!

I have a friend who is in the clothing and a tiny bit of jewelry business in the Atlanta area who said she would take me to "the mart". I assume this is where the wholesalers sell their goods. I do know that you have a to have some sort of proof that your a retailer in order to get in to this area.

Has anyone ever been to the mart in Atlanta? What can I expect? I didn't have a chance to ask to many questions from her before I left. Is this an area where I can expect to see a lot of loose diamonds? Mostly settings? If anyone has any insight please let me know. Thanks!
 
I live in Atlanta and have been to "The Mart" many times in the course of my lifetime (my Dad manufactured carpet, so we went to the Mart 2x/year since I was about 6). Before I found PS, I thought that the Mart could be a great place to purchase jewelry and most of the jewelry I owned was purchased there. You had to be careful of whom you did business with, but I thought you could find some nice pieces at a good value (Mariloff Diamonds come to mind). Most of what the dealers at the Mart offer are EGL certified, which is not as well respected as GIA/AGS. The grading is not as strict, so you may be able to purchase a higher color/clarity stone for what appears to be the same amount of money as a lower color/quality GIA. If you call ahead of time and request GIA stones with your specs for cut/size/color/clarity,they can get it for you, but I don't think that you'll find as good a value for your money as you might with some of the online vendors. As long as you're educated about what you're getting, I think that the Mart can be a good place to go. However, you need to know what you're looking for and what you're getting.
 
Thanks for the quick reply!

So do you think its worth the 2 hour drive for me to go check out the selection there? Or is my best bet to just stick with the online vendors?

Can you think of any other vendors at the Mart that have good deals besides Mariloff?
 
I am also curious - how does the Mart work? Do you need a credential to get in and shop for jewelry? And also, how do you find out the hours/schedule for the vendors?
 
My office is inside 'the mart' in Denver so I"m pretty familiar with the dance and the sales pitches. Not to pick on my neighbors but 100% of them call themselves 'wholesalers' while I would not use that word for a significant fraction of them.

The test is simple. Ask if they'll sell to you in consumer quantities. If the answer is yes, the're a retailer. If the answer is no, but they refer you to one or more of thier dealers then they're a wholesaler. This isn't evil, it's just a definition of terms. I have no problem with retailers. I have no problem with wholesalers. The difference is NOT about the price.

Here's the key: All it takes to be a tenent in the mart is to pay the rent. Nothing more. You can sell to whoever you want, you can charge whatever you want, and you can carry whatever merchandise you want. There is no obligation to charge the same prices to everyone who walks in the door and as long as you comply with the sales tax rules, the state doesn't care a whit what you do. It's just a building.

At least in Denver there are two ways to get into the building. You can apply for a permanent pass with the ladies at the front desk that gives you more-or-less free run of the building. This takes a tax license and some credible evidence that you're really running a business. If you're interested, I'm sure the building management will be happy to explain the rules and give you the required form. The other way is to come in as a guest of one of the showrooms. You need to be escorted to and from the showroom by a tenant. Anyone is eligible and it's up to the tenant to decide if they want you in their store. If you would like to see a store in the building, ring them up and see if they want to set an appointment. If they want to do business with you, they'll be happy to cooperate and if not they won't, but 'the mart' has nothing to do with it and a connection with a pass won't make any differece.
 
Waterman,
I too am in Atlanta and tried the Mart as well as Solomon Brothers in Buckhead and Union Diamonds in Marietta. I found the best quality and best prices still to be online, and we purchased my ring from Brian Gavin Diamonds. What was said above by denverappraiser is very good advice.

To me, the allure of the mart is that you'll get a great deal, but it's really no more than a B&M store.

And if you're thinking of Solomon Brothers, they had a huge selection, especially of cushions (that I was looking for at the time) but it felt very much like a car deal.
Anne
 
If you're still planning to go to the Mart, I can comb through my old receipts for some of the vendors I've dealt with there.
 
I think many cities around the country have setups similar to this. I will point out that I completed my wedding set project at a local jeweler in such a building here. I didn't select them because they were located in such a place, but instead because they got pretty good reviews and were willing to work with me on what I wanted. I noticed, of course, that there were plenty of other shops in the building, and most of them seemed to be of low quality.

I think my point here is that you should select what jeweler(s) you want to work with and visit them, whether or not they are in this type of building. I don't see these "marts" as a destination in and of themselves. Just one of many places where a jeweler might choose to lease a storefront.

As denverappraiser said, if there is a specific one you want to visit, call them up and make an appointment. Whether you can get in as a guest on a hard pass or not (that's permitted out here at least), most jewelers would probably prefer you called ahead anyway.
 
I have been to Solomon Brothers and found good selection, but agree with the sales approach. It is wonderful that they have a 100% upgrade policy and are in-town, though.

I would love to hear about any vendor rec's at the Mart, though. I work downtown and am wanting to check it out!
 
I live in Atlanta and a couple of my friends have actually bought their engagement rings there. I was contemplating going myself but the things I'm learning here and the availability of quality diamonds online will probably save me the trip.
 
Vendors are not allowed to self promote on PS. I wouldn't patronize any vendor that did.

My aunt lived in Atlanta and we went to the Mart there once. I found better deals for her online through known vendors that are dependable and trust worthy.

Also, we have a Mart in San Francisco. It operates the same way Neal described. And no... all you get there is a bunch of sales pitches about how great a value EGL (lie) and how they are wholesalers even though they sell to the public (lie).
 
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