PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A store buzzing with customers and camaraderie is what owner Cathy Beaulieu loves at Wilder’s Jewelry, which this year marks its 90th anniversary.
Beaulieu celebrated her own milestone in 2021: 25 years as the store’s owner.
Situated in a historic building on Presque Isle’s Main Street, the company has seen multiple generations of shoppers. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has changed much about how business is conducted everywhere, Beaulieu believes Wilder’s has thrived thanks to its loyal customers and willingness to adapt.
Founder Ike Wilder opened Wilder’s Jewelry in 1932, moving to the current site at 407 Main St. in 1960. The circa-1887 building had housed another jewelry store as well as the local Bell System office, with the operators situated upstairs.
Son Harry Wilder took over with Ike’s passing in 1974, and Beaulieu purchased Wilder’s in 1996. Harry came in to work with her every day for the five years until he died, she said.
“It was like working with my grandfather, but we didn’t have any family baggage,” Beaulieu said, smiling. “He wanted me to succeed.”
She kept the Wilder’s name because people were familiar with it and because the business had a long history of success.
When the pandemic struck, Beaulieu said there were scary times. Keeping the historic business alive was paramount, so she closely monitored finances and kept expenses to the bare minimum. Store staff took orders via telephone and social media, and delivered curbside when customers couldn’t come inside.
Store owner Cathy Beaulieu arranges a display case at Wilder’s Jewelry in Presque Isle. (Paula Brewer | The Star-Herald)
When shipping delays prevented stock from arriving, she drove to Boston herself, met new suppliers and brought products back to Presque Isle.
“We have such a really good, strong customer base,” she said. “We have survived better than most. It’s by the grace of God, really.”
Beaulieu misses the store’s social shopping events that are on hold for now, when customers came in groups to visit as they browsed. But an older jeweler she once worked with always told her, “There are two things you can always count on. People fall in love, and Christmas always comes.”
Sometimes three or four generations of families have come to Wilder’s for engagement rings and other special items.
In her years at the helm, the store has added to its fine jewelry and diamond selections, notably Brighton, Pandora and Alex and Ani jewelry, along with the Vera Bradley brand, handbags and other gift items. Staff enjoy launching new product lines to keep up with what customers want, and sometimes Beaulieu has had to convince companies that their products can be successful in Aroostook County.
“You have to be constantly evolving,” Beaulieu said. “It’s like throwing spaghetti at the wall — if it sticks, you’re good. If it doesn’t, move on.”
Beaulieu said the store sells five times the volume it did 25 years ago, and credits her staff with helping it succeed. Some have been there a long time, while others return home for college breaks. Former employees visit, and she enjoys seeing them celebrate marriages and births.
“I’m fortunate with the staff who have worked for me over the years. It’s a mix of women and there’s something to learn from all of them,” she said.
Despite the pandemic challenges, Beaulieu said the store has more first-time customers now than ever before, which she attributes to people patronizing local businesses rather than traveling to shop. A lot of customers visit because they remember being in the store when they were younger.
“I do think a lot of people have rediscovered what they have around them,” she said. “They look for what’s familiar and permanent.”
As Beaulieu has renovated over the years, she has tried to honor the store’s history. She had a reproduction tin ceiling installed in the front of the store to match the original, and has kept the general layout, adding new windows, structural and safety improvements.
Like some other Main Street businesses, storefront windows are a big part of the store’s curb appeal. Beaulieu said she loves designing Wilder’s windows, and interweaves smaller items people can see as they walk by with larger items visible from passing cars.
The store fields calls regularly from people asking about upcoming events, if they remember so-and-so, and even whether there’s a line at Dwight’s Barber Shop across the street. It’s all part of being in a close-knit Main Street community, where businesses invite customers to shop at other local stores.
“We have to encourage each other’s success,” Beaulieu said. “You have to look at the big picture. If one of us does well, we all do well.”
