My father, RB Grampp Sr, started Bluestone Trading in 1978 on the back
of a motorcycle. Before Bluestone, he owned a handful of gold buying
shops that were very successful in their time, after the markets dried up he
was left with inventory and customers who remained loyal to him, as he is
a straight shooting, honest business man. Shortly thereafter, he began
importing diamonds and grew our business exponentially through hard
work, great prices, and excellent customer service. Over the years, he
worked hard to stay ahead of the times and stay on the forefront of the
industry. Bluestone is a proud supporter of the National Pawnbrokers
Association including when he served as a board member. He helped
found the Polygon Trade Network in 1984 and lectured on Moissanite
when it first came into the market. And, as simple as it sounds today, he
was one of the first companies to have a website that customers could log
into and order inventory. When I came on board full time in 2005, I had a
vision and desire to take the great roots that were planted and grow our
business to the next level by being the go-to company for buying and
selling diamonds and jewelry. Our experience in buying second hand
merchandise, including entire store inventories has greatly helped us
make win/win relationships with our customers. We also heavily invest in
new technologies, such as testing for lab grown diamonds and we have
done extensive research on how they will affect business as we see it
today
How Many Pawn Conventions do we Attend Each Year
I believe that it is important to build and maintain relationships, which is
why we go to as many shows as possible including the NPA Pawn Expo,
The Dixie Pawn Show, and The Midwest Pawn Show. Our traveling
doesn’t stop there, last year we did 19 shows including pawn shows, coin
shows, and antique jewelry shows. As we grow our company, it is
important to stay up with the times and the new technologies on the
market, by attending these shows we acquire this valuable knowledge.
We really take advantage of our international presence and have used it
grow our expertise on virtually every aspect of the jewelry industry
including antique jewelry, colored diamonds, and how international
markets can affect what’s going on here in the United States.
Why Did We Decide to be Part of This Event?
Once I heard the approach and fresh ideas that were going to be
presented, I was sold. I am a firm believer that is important to invest in
ourselves and obtain the knowledge required to be successful and
succeed in business today.
How do You See it Helping the Pawnbrokers That Attend and the Industry in General?
Knowledge is key to being successful. As a business owner, I, as well as
our staff take every opportunity to grow and keep up to date on new
industry topics and trends. We love sharing our knowledge with our
clients. We regard our clients as teammates that share a mutual goal for
success. Regardless of where you are in your business, from just starting
out to working on retirement, you need to invest in yourself and think
outside the box of your day to day comfort zone. The key talking points of
this convention are extremely important to people of all ages and
demographics. You never know when you will get that “ah ha lighting bolt
moment,” and for some, this convention may bring life changing ideas.
Vern, your doing a great job at putting together a fantastic show and I am
happy to be a part of it!