- Words by Tess Van Straaten Photography by Lia Crowe

Oak Bay jewellery store owner and entrepreneur Geoffrey Beattie is quite accustomed to people recognizing his voice, thanks to the distinctive New Zealand accent so many of us have heard on radio ads for Barclay乌鸦传媒檚 Fine Jewellers over the last two decades.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e had people come in and say, 乌鸦传媒極h, I feel as though I know you already,乌鸦传媒� and I乌鸦传媒檝e had people come in and say, you乌鸦传媒檙e much older, or taller, or shorter than I thought you were!乌鸦传媒� laughs Geoffrey, who expanded to television ads on CHEK a few years ago.

乌鸦传媒淲hen I came to Canada, I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 sure if my accent would be a positive or negative, but I tried it all the same, and I actually found it乌鸦传媒檚 been a benefit because it乌鸦传媒檚 helped to differentiate me.乌鸦传媒�

High-end jewellery in exquisite and unique settings has also helped to differentiate Barclay乌鸦传媒檚 Fine Jewellers, which Geoffrey bought in 1999 after moving to Victoria with his Canadian wife, Chris.

乌鸦传媒淲e were taking a big step, deciding where we wanted to live and raise a family,乌鸦传媒� Geoffrey explains. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檇 been to Victoria several times and I always loved it here. We liked the size of the city. I was ready to open my own store, and this seemed like a good fit.乌鸦传媒�

Geoffrey initially started his career in a management program with a big New Zealand department store, but jumped at a serendipitous opportunity to train with a jewellery store manager. He乌鸦传媒檇 been working in the jewellery industry for 13 years and was managing stores in Christchurch when they decided to make the leap to Canada and his own store.

乌鸦传媒淚 love dealing with customers乌鸦传媒擨 guess that乌鸦传媒檚 my strength乌鸦传媒攁nd being able to relate well with people and figure out what they need or want,乌鸦传媒� says Geoffrey, who does a lot of the jewellery designing. 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 a big creative aspect to it and, more and more, our product is a stand-alone product and you can乌鸦传媒檛 get it anywhere else in Victoria.乌鸦传媒�

On my visit, a glittering $126,000 diamond caught my eye, along with several spectacular rings that you would otherwise only see in big city jewellery stores.

乌鸦传媒淥ne of the biggest lessons [I乌鸦传媒檝e learned] is that a lot of places think they have to keep increasing customers or traffic. But really, for me, it乌鸦传媒檚 not so much the amount of people coming through, but having the right product and appealing to a niche market,乌鸦传媒� the 56-year-old says. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 more about having the right customers come through your door.乌鸦传媒�

The design and d茅cor of the store have been taken up a notch, thanks to an extensive renovation that was recently completed. The boutique-style space, infused with gold and grey tones, exudes luxury. It was created by Victoria designer Ivan Meade.

乌鸦传媒淭his has just been a progression of 22 years of building and aiming towards a desire and a passion to have a beautiful store. That takes money and that takes time,乌鸦传媒� Geoffrey says. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e just built things up over the years at a pace that乌鸦传媒檚 comfortable, but there have been challenges at times.乌鸦传媒�

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most recent challenge to navigate, even though the high-end jewellery market hasn乌鸦传媒檛 taken the financial hit that乌鸦传媒檚 impacted the bottom line of many other sectors.

乌鸦传媒淥ur industry, as a whole, has been very fortunate because people haven乌鸦传媒檛 been travelling and [so] they乌鸦传媒檝e been spending,乌鸦传媒� Geoffrey explains. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e all had to work within new constraints, but I don乌鸦传媒檛 think I乌鸦传媒檓 alone in saying there are a lot of pluses that have come from it乌鸦传媒攐ne of them being that we乌鸦传媒檝e been able to regulate the flow of traffic in the store with appointments, and that乌鸦传媒檚 been a big benefit because I sometimes feel pulled in all directions.乌鸦传媒�

Over the years, Geoffrey says, his biggest mistake was worrying too much, since 乌鸦传媒渁 lot of what you perceive to be problems are often magnified in your mind.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淚 look back on the times I was worried乌鸦传媒攎y rent went up a lot and that caused me to worry, and then I expanded to two levels instead of one and I was concerned about that. But if I could have not worried as much about the decisions I made and trusted that I was following my gut, I might have not had as much anxiety about the business. Generally, when you follow your gut you get it right.乌鸦传媒�

Geoffrey says the challenging times have taught him to be resilient, pointing out that you don乌鸦传媒檛 learn as much when the times are good.

乌鸦传媒淭he learning or growing pains or whatever it is乌鸦传媒攖hat乌鸦传媒檚 actually what gives you confidence going forward. We乌鸦传媒檝e had these major events along the way, like the tech crash and 2008, and when you know you were able to get through it and be okay, that just gives you more faith in the future going forward.乌鸦传媒�

The future of this successful family business includes Chris, who does the books, and the couple乌鸦传媒檚 daughter, Danielle Beattie, who started working at the store when she was 15 years old. Danielle didn乌鸦传媒檛 think it would be her career but, like her dad, she乌鸦传媒檚 found her passion.

乌鸦传媒淚 really like the connection you get with people and I just love jewellery, too乌鸦传媒攖hat乌鸦传媒檚 probably been ingrained into me!乌鸦传媒� laughs Danielle. 乌鸦传媒淚 feel very fortunate that we have the kind of relationship where we乌鸦传媒檙e able to do that because we乌鸦传媒檙e together all the time.乌鸦传媒�

For Geoffrey, it all comes down to doing what you love.

乌鸦传媒淚 think you have to be very passionate about what you do because you are going to come across times of struggle, and when you know what you乌鸦传媒檙e doing is what you believe in and enjoy, that helps you get through it.乌鸦传媒�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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