VSP Jewelry Design Gallery Works Hard Making Their Customers a Priority

Paul and YeeMan Lee have been joint owners of VSP Jewelry Design Gallery at Lake Forest Park Towne Centre for 22 years, making them the oldest merchant in the mall.

They have seen many neighboring businesses come and go over the years. YeeMan Lee credits their uniqueness as one quality that has kept them alive while others have failed.

“We don’t emphasize any particular kind of stone,” she says.

They don’t discriminate with the type of jewelry they bring into the store, meaning they don’t just have the diamonds, rubies and sapphires that are found in many of the bigger chain stores. 

They carry stones like the spectacular 32-carat pear shaped swiss blue topaz, displayed modestly in the corner of one of their many glass cases.

“We get our stones from all over the world,” Lee says.  

Her customers want individuality and seek it out from their collection.  She implied that many of the bigger chain stores don’t make customer service a priority.

There are a lot of variables Lee examines to help her customer find that ideal fit.

Sometimes a person will think she wants something because it looks amazing in the display case, yet she put it on and it doesn’t look good on her. Maybe the stone is too big or the color doesn’t suit her complexion. Maybe the setting isn’t right for the size of her finger.

“We rule out all the negative possibilities before we get to the design process,” Lee clarifies.

The Lees aren’t just trying to sell something. They are very conscientious about whatever piece somebody purchases from them. They don’t want that customer to come back with repairs.

Once the design is decided Lee’s husband Paul puts it together. They both do repairs, depending on the type of repair needed.  They also do costume jewelry and silver smithing. 

Unlike many other jewelry stores, that send out their repairs, the Lees do all their repairs on site, allowing them to have more quality control. 

They spend a lot of their time repairing pieces from other jewelry stores. They strive to create the best quality piece for their customer so they won’t be repairing it later.

They work to make their pieces practical to wear with less maintenance while not diminishing the beauty and originality of the piece. Their main goal is to make the customer happy, or rather exceed their expectations. 

They work six days a week with only Sundays off making sure their customers leave their store delighted.

“Very seldom do we have to remake something,” Lee says with a smile. 

This small jewelry store has become a home away from home for the Lees. To understand what people are buying they have to commit to their community and follow the local economy. Their customers are their neighbors not just nameless faces.

“We have to match the jewelry to the person. It’s not just about making beautiful pieces,” Lee says.