Today we’d like to introduce you to Rada Burdeen.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Rada. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Matt’s parents started in the jewelry business in the late 70’s with a few hundred dollars when his dad’s career wasn’t going anywhere. They started stringing beads and following the art fair circuit. They eventually opened a store in their living room and finally moved to a small location in Buffalo Grove and the official Burdeen’s Jewelry was born! Fast forward 35 years later we have built a beautiful free standing 6,000 sq. ft. store with an upcoming expansion of another 3,000 sq. ft. this summer. Matt’s parents retired 7 years ago and Matthew and I now own the business and run it. We love to travel around the world and pick up unique pieces to bring to our customers. Because we have a lot of contacts with small family jewelry makers in Italy, we have wonderful access to design and buy beautiful jewels. We pride ourselves in our custom jewelry where nothing is impossible and it’s been our pleasure to meet with so many different people and become a part of their celebration in designing the perfect piece. We have one of the largest pre-owned watch departments in the Midwest and have enjoyed working with watch enthusiasts trading, buying, or upgrading timepieces. We have designed our store to be luxurious, yet inviting with some of our shop-in-shop boutiques geared toward spending time perusing our incredible collection of Swiss-made time pieces such as Breitling, Omega, Chopard, IWC, Ulysse Nardin, A. Lange and Sohne, and Jaeger Le Coultre. Clients are welcome to sit, design, try on and really enjoy in their jewelry buying experience. We love to start off any meeting with an espresso or a glass of champagne. Our stunning bridal boutique displays hundreds of styles that we love to share with young couples, regardless of their budget, everyone here gets the 5 star Burdeen’s treatment and custom experience. We never think small about one particular sale, because the end goal is always about the relationship and friendship to earn your trust and become your family jeweler. We are so proud to say that a lot of our clients have become our close friends and it’s our pleasure to always celebrate any milestone with them. We have also crossed the multi-generational bridge and it’s been so rewarding to see now the 3rd generation of the same family come in and shop with us. We are very grateful for the business that we are in where it’s still very family-oriented, luxurious, as well as being a part of many families’ happiest moments.
Has it been a smooth road?
Overall it’s been a smooth road with regular growing pains that come from expansion. We have always remained true to our roots and regardless of how large we get, we always want to maintain that small personal family feel.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Burdeen’s Jewelry story. Tell us more about the business.
Our business is multi-faceted and we cover the whole spectrum of jewelry from custom design work, repairs, pre-owned timepieces, new Swiss time pieces, gorgeous Italian haute pieces, along with estate and antique jewels. We are most proud of our vast selection as well as our capability to design and make anything. Nothing is impossible!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Of course the trend seems to be toward online shopping vs. the brick and mortar store. However, our customers love the experience and the treatment. And that is something you can never buy online.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1151 W Lake Cook Rd
- Website: www.burdeens.com
- Phone: 8474598980
- Email: info@burdeens.com
- Instagram: burdeens_jewelry
- Facebook: Burdeen’s Jewelry
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