- Words by Tess Van Straaten Photography by Lia Crowe

Oak Bay jewellery store owner and entrepreneur Geoffrey Beattie is quite accustomed to people recognizing his voice, thanks to the distinctive New Zealand accent so many of us have heard on radio ads for Barclay鈥檚 Fine Jewellers over the last two decades.

鈥淚鈥檝e had people come in and say, 鈥極h, I feel as though I know you already,鈥� and I鈥檝e had people come in and say, you鈥檙e much older, or taller, or shorter than I thought you were!鈥� laughs Geoffrey, who expanded to television ads on CHEK a few years ago.

鈥淲hen I came to Canada, I wasn鈥檛 sure if my accent would be a positive or negative, but I tried it all the same, and I actually found it鈥檚 been a benefit because it鈥檚 helped to differentiate me.鈥�

High-end jewellery in exquisite and unique settings has also helped to differentiate Barclay鈥檚 Fine Jewellers, which Geoffrey bought in 1999 after moving to Victoria with his Canadian wife, Chris.

鈥淲e were taking a big step, deciding where we wanted to live and raise a family,鈥� Geoffrey explains. 鈥淲e鈥檇 been to Victoria several times and I always loved it here. We liked the size of the city. I was ready to open my own store, and this seemed like a good fit.鈥�

Geoffrey initially started his career in a management program with a big New Zealand department store, but jumped at a serendipitous opportunity to train with a jewellery store manager. He鈥檇 been working in the jewellery industry for 13 years and was managing stores in Christchurch when they decided to make the leap to Canada and his own store.

鈥淚 love dealing with customers鈥擨 guess that鈥檚 my strength鈥攁nd being able to relate well with people and figure out what they need or want,鈥� says Geoffrey, who does a lot of the jewellery designing. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a big creative aspect to it and, more and more, our product is a stand-alone product and you can鈥檛 get it anywhere else in Victoria.鈥�

On my visit, a glittering $126,000 diamond caught my eye, along with several spectacular rings that you would otherwise only see in big city jewellery stores.

鈥淥ne of the biggest lessons [I鈥檝e learned] is that a lot of places think they have to keep increasing customers or traffic. But really, for me, it鈥檚 not so much the amount of people coming through, but having the right product and appealing to a niche market,鈥� the 56-year-old says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more about having the right customers come through your door.鈥�

The design and d茅cor of the store have been taken up a notch, thanks to an extensive renovation that was recently completed. The boutique-style space, infused with gold and grey tones, exudes luxury. It was created by Victoria designer Ivan Meade.

鈥淭his has just been a progression of 22 years of building and aiming towards a desire and a passion to have a beautiful store. That takes money and that takes time,鈥� Geoffrey says. 鈥淚鈥檝e just built things up over the years at a pace that鈥檚 comfortable, but there have been challenges at times.鈥�

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most recent challenge to navigate, even though the high-end jewellery market hasn鈥檛 taken the financial hit that鈥檚 impacted the bottom line of many other sectors.

鈥淥ur industry, as a whole, has been very fortunate because people haven鈥檛 been travelling and [so] they鈥檝e been spending,鈥� Geoffrey explains. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all had to work within new constraints, but I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 alone in saying there are a lot of pluses that have come from it鈥攐ne of them being that we鈥檝e been able to regulate the flow of traffic in the store with appointments, and that鈥檚 been a big benefit because I sometimes feel pulled in all directions.鈥�

Over the years, Geoffrey says, his biggest mistake was worrying too much, since 鈥渁 lot of what you perceive to be problems are often magnified in your mind.鈥�

鈥淚 look back on the times I was worried鈥攎y rent went up a lot and that caused me to worry, and then I expanded to two levels instead of one and I was concerned about that. But if I could have not worried as much about the decisions I made and trusted that I was following my gut, I might have not had as much anxiety about the business. Generally, when you follow your gut you get it right.鈥�

Geoffrey says the challenging times have taught him to be resilient, pointing out that you don鈥檛 learn as much when the times are good.

鈥淭he learning or growing pains or whatever it is鈥攖hat鈥檚 actually what gives you confidence going forward. We鈥檝e had these major events along the way, like the tech crash and 2008, and when you know you were able to get through it and be okay, that just gives you more faith in the future going forward.鈥�

The future of this successful family business includes Chris, who does the books, and the couple鈥檚 daughter, Danielle Beattie, who started working at the store when she was 15 years old. Danielle didn鈥檛 think it would be her career but, like her dad, she鈥檚 found her passion.

鈥淚 really like the connection you get with people and I just love jewellery, too鈥攖hat鈥檚 probably been ingrained into me!鈥� laughs Danielle. 鈥淚 feel very fortunate that we have the kind of relationship where we鈥檙e able to do that because we鈥檙e together all the time.鈥�

For Geoffrey, it all comes down to doing what you love.

鈥淚 think you have to be very passionate about what you do because you are going to come across times of struggle, and when you know what you鈥檙e doing is what you believe in and enjoy, that helps you get through it.鈥�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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