Blue Nile is opening two new showrooms in California—one in San Jose, the other in Los Angeles—bringing its nationwide total to 10.

Its San Jose brick-and-mortar store (pictured), located at the Valley Fair shopping center, opened on March 26. Another showroom, in Century City in Los Angeles, will open on April 9.

The brand also has a third California showroom, in Newport Beach, which opened last year.

Company CEO Sean Kell has told JCK he envisions opening 50 stores within the next five years.

In October 2020, the company opened three new locations—the Newport Beach store, plus stores in Lone Tree, Colo. (near Denver), and Oakbrook, Ill. (near Chicago)—the first new showrooms it has opened since 2017.

The openings of those locations were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blue Nile also has showrooms in Portland, Ore.; Salem, N.H.; Garden City, N.Y.; Bellevue, Wash.; and Tysons, Va. The full list of locations can be seen here.

Kell told JCK that the combination of both the web and showroom drives more business and revenue than just the web alone.

“We think two things happen,” he said. “First, consumers who find us on the web like the idea of going into the store and seeing the stones in person and making sure the ring size fits. Then, there are people who happen to be in a mall and haven’t found us yet on the web and just walk into one of the stores and discover [our company].”

He noted that the initial business model of the showroom had been tweaked, so it now features more live inventory.

The first guests at the San Jose showroom will be offered a gift of pearl earrings with an in-store purchase, while supplies last.

Last year, De Beers’ Lightbox brand began selling on Blue Nile, marking the first time the Seattle-based e-tailer had sold lab-grown diamonds.

(Photo courtesy of Blue Nile)

 

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