Northeastern Fine Jewelry will expand its flagship store in
Schenectady, N.Y., the company announced June 7.

The store’s showroom floor will be expanded by an additional
1,500 square feet, more than double its current amount of space. The Schenectady
location logged a year-over-year sales increase of more than 20 percent in 2010.

The flagship location opened in 1980 as the Northeastern
Coin Gallery with a 1,200 square foot showroom floor. The store was renamed in
1985. The storefront was remodeled in 2005 to commemorate the 25th anniversary.

“Our Union Street store has been one of the region’s most
popular jewelry stores for 30 years. We’ve had a tremendous start to the year
and we’re excited to be able to offer a wider selection to our loyal
customers,” Ray Bleser, owner and founder, said in a statement.

Kyrish Iyer, Northeastern’s director of operations, tells JCK Northeastern is still in the planning stages and has not set a date to begin construction.

“We’re going to keep the same thing, but it will open things up,” Iyer says. The expansion will include a lounge, boutique-style sections, and a dedicated bridal section.

“We’ll have a dedicated bridal section for those who want to come in and spend their time looking for their diamond,” Iyer says. “There will be no stress, so [the customer] will be in a tranquil mindset when making the big decision.”

JCK