Kansas City: Our reputation lies on our BBQ and sports teams, but can we become known for the luxurious side of things?
Michael Wilson, the owner of Niall timepieces, said yes. In a first of its kind business move, the Kansas City-based watchmaker is taking its online store to a boutique on the County Club Plaza.
"It is exciting," he said. "What we are building here is beyond Kansas City. It is something that is really taking legs. We have such great momentum, especially this store, is really a moment for this industry. We are the first luxury watchmaker in America to have a boutique right here in Kansas City. It's a monumental moment for our industry."
While consumers do much of their shopping online, the watch business is a little different with 98 percent of watch sales being made inside stores. That's why Niall decided to bring its e-store to a brick and mortar business.
"There is a lot of big value behind it," said Samir Merdanovic, the CEO Eterna Movement. "A smart watch or quartz watch you can just use it for certain periods -- like a mobile phone. You change your mobile phone all through the years. We are 160 years old, and we are repairing today 60 or 70-year-old watches."
While Niall manufactures the movement in Switzerland with Eterna Movement, everything else, including production, is made right here in Kansas City.
The watches start in the mid-$3,000 range.
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
