Johnny OSTEEN

• Name	Johnny OSTEEN  [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  HIST	of Sumter, South Carolina This has to be the correct Johnny Osteen for the following article. Jewelry Wholesale develops relationships Johnny Osteen, bench jeweler at Jewelry Wholesale Inc., inspects a stone at the store recently. KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Sunday, December 20, 2015 6:00 am BY JIM HILLEY JIM@THEITEM.COM "It's less about the money than the relationship," said jeweler Johnny Osteen at Jewelry Wholesale Inc., 41 E. Wesmark Blvd. "If you don't have a relationship, you don't have that second generation come in." While many jewelers woo their customers with expensive showrooms and an upscale atmosphere, Jewelry Wholesale concentrates on making customers feel welcome by being friendly and selling quality jewelry for less. The company was originally started by John Copeland in 1980 as Copeland Coin and Metal, said Suzanne Horton, John Copeland's daughter. She now runs the company with her brother William Copeland. Their father, John Osteen, had previously worked as a manager at Jones Chevrolet before going into business for himself. Business is in the family's blood, apparently, as Suzanne Horton said her grandmother had an ice cream parlor and general store at the site on Broad Street earlier. "Right next to Wendy's," she said. The company sold Add-A-Beads, cluster rings and waterfall rings and eventually expanded into jewelry, Suzanne Copeland said. She said she has worked in the store for much of her life. "I started when I was 14," she said. Suzanne's cousin Johnny Osteen also began working at the store as an intern jeweler when he was 14. "We have something to offer everyone at every price point," Suzanne Horton said. "We offer the most for your money." Besides offering top-quality jewelry, she said Jewelry Wholesale prides itself in making customers feel welcomed and appreciated. "Whatever business you bring to us, you are just as important as everyone else," she said. She said the store carries most of the same name brand jewelry lines as pricier jewelry outlets. Jewelry Wholesale also has a collection of estate jewelry. "Customers can buy it for about one third of what it originally sold for, or we can put the stones in a new setting," she said. She said a lot of the estate jewelry is acquired locally or through people trading it in. The store also has a room of collegiate clothing, mostly for University of South Carolina fans. "They haven't had the best year; sales have been a little soft," she said. One item that is hot right now is engagement rings. "A lot of people want to get engaged when all the family is present for the holidays," she said. "Who wouldn't want to share that experience?" Johnny Osteen, who besides his years as an intern attending the Holland School of Jewelers in Selma, Alabama, said developing relationships with customers is important. "I've developed quite a few friendships with customers, and I know most of my customers by first name," he said. Because of those relationships, the store now has parents who bought their nuptial jewelry bringing in their children when the time comes. He said it is also important to be out in the community through his church and civic organizations. "Our relationship with customers extends out the doors," he said. Establishing a relationship with vendors is also important, he said. "We can buy it cheaper and sell for less than competitors in Columbia," he said. Suzanne Horton said Jewelry Wholesale is a full-service jeweler and does not compete with retail outlets such as Walmart or Kmart. "We are at another level of quality, and we stand behind what we sell," she said.  [1, 3, 4]
  _UID	99077ABEEA354C3DA04B1D49F32BD4BE8182
  Person ID	I76265	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	23 Dec 2015

  
  

  Father	Charles Cleveland “Pete” OSTEEN,   b. 1937, Sumter County, South Carolina d. 1 May 2002 (Age 65 years)
  Mother	JoAnn COPELAND,   b. 1940, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina d. 23 Feb 2005, at a local nursing center (Age 65 years)
  _UID	31230EADE92249CAAD46FB90B214C33468C2
  _UID	31230EADE92249CAAD46FB90B214C33468C2
  Family ID	F13379	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Sources

  [S1393] Charles “Pete” Osteen. [S5180] Man’s death still raises questions. [S4680] JoAnn C. Osteen. [S23409] Jewelry Wholesale develops relationships.