Zionsville jeweler puts social justice at forefront

ZIONSVILLE — It is really not each and every day you might be greeted by a portray of Nipsey Hussle, Tupac Shakur, or Harriet Tubman when going for walks into a jewelry retail store, but Robert Goodman Jewelers in Zionsville is not your ordinary jewellery retail outlet.

From the outdoors to the inside of, Robert Goodman, a third-generation jeweler, and his wife and business partner, Rose-Marie, are vocal about their stance on several contentious issues that plague our region currently. The drab brick exterior of their store on the cobblestone Main Road of downtown Zionsville is adorned with signage for Black Life Make any difference, Mom’s Demand from customers Motion, a delight flag, and fliers for social justice-linked activities and groups.

“Our personalized positions are integral to and integrated into our business. This is who we are. This is not a business model. It is a human product. We aren’t doing this to raise our quantity we’re performing it simply because we believe this is what is appropriate,” Goodman reported.

WRTV Picture: Shakkira Harris

Historically, shoppers would not see business proprietors publicly having a stance on something, a great deal much less a political a single. About the final ten years or so, nonetheless, more and extra organizations and tiny businesses alike are having some form of a stance on an problem. A great deal of it has to do with social media, and consumers possessing a small additional electric power in demanding solutions from corporations. With the advancement of social media, shoppers demanding transparency have also developed.

It is a ask for for transparency that we have not viewed strike jewelry firms very like its strike other industries, such as food items, hospitality, and outfits organizations.

“The absence of reasonable and equivalent possibilities that we have noticed historically in our sector is an abomination, and it is anything that we, as generational jewelers, really should be embarrassed about,” Goodman stated.

Goodman states the jewelry marketplace is not as opposed to each other establishment in The usa that has been identified as out for its discriminatory earlier and inequality. And he is demanding that the market not sit back and wait around for the buyer needs, but be proactive. And he’s taken guide.

“The industry, just like, I would say most other industries in the nation, have not been honest to folks of shade,” Goodman stated. “Just like we see in the entire world at substantial in the United States, you can find systemic racism. And we have not too long ago, in the previous handful of several years, started to discuss out inside the industry in opposition to that, and contacting for more equality and additional alternatives.”

Goodman was born into a family that at a person position owned 10 jewelry merchants in Indiana. He was presented a particular possibility 22 several years back to open up the Zionsville keep as the some others closed, and his birthright edge is not shed on him.

Goodman says he has always been vocal in Zionsville about exactly where he stands on any concern. He’s intentional about who he does business with and who he will tolerate in his retailer. For occasion, the store has been publically declared gun-free of charge and carries jewelry by only sustainable designers.

It really is in the past six several years while Goodman has been able to obtain strategies to acquire motion and use his system to supply equivalent possibilities and provide communities jointly.

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As an individual who values conversation — and has them regularly — Goodman arrived at out to community leaders in Indianapolis to ask for their view on a slew of ideas he had.

“That’s how you make persons realize and be tolerant and accepting,” Goodman claimed.

The jeweler in the end wanted to bring a wide variety of communities collectively suitable there in downtown Zionsville so individuals could share house, have productive conversations, and just be close to anyone who is various than them selves in some way.

In the very last handful of a long time, Goodman has hosted quite a few community activities, such as an Iftar, which is an night food Muslims have to conclusion their every day Ramadan rapidly that features a connect with to prayer. “Out, in entrance of the retail outlet, on the sidewalk, in public, they broke their fast in this article,” Goodman said. “It was attractive.”

Goodman Jewelers has experienced community lighting of the Menorah during Hanukkah, as very well.

They have also not long ago designed it a stage to partner with little and medium-dimensions designers from around the environment and rather of offering the business conventional of 6% of the choose, they give the designers and miners 96% of the get. “So, you can do this and not just do it correct in your retail store. It is really also how you interact with the globe,” Goodman claimed.

Far more a short while ago, Robert Goodman’s has facilitated a Black jeweler’s pop-up celebration, exactly where the house owners really don’t acquire any commission nor provide any of their own jewellery, closing their instances, and supplying jewelry makers of shade space.

“We want to continue on doing these forms of factors — bringing men and women alongside one another to expertise things that they would not typically experience,” Goodman reported.

WRTV Image: Shakkira Harris

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Goodman claims he utilizes his spot of business as a room for civil conversations that can ideally go our communities previous divisiveness.

“It is really just striving to make persons arrive jointly and learn about one a different and feel cozy,” Goodman stated.

Robert Goodman’s most recent function is a month-lengthy artwork show inside their storefront at 106 N. Key St. with the theme of social justice, range, and inclusion. The shop is hosting operate by artists of all ages and is open up to absolutely everyone.

It is a special collaboration, some may possibly assume, of artwork and jewelry sharing house. It really is an unheard of venue for an art show, for occasion, there is pricey jewellery close to and glass in all places — but the Goodman’s say jewellery is artwork, and owning paintings and images and all other mediums of art sharing the same room with jewelry is a “organic, reasonable partnership.”

The Goodmans hope that this artwork show and the activities and galleries they strategy to keep on web hosting in the future will assistance bring about modify and lead to a much more equitable entire world.

“We hope that by this exhibit, we will make persons imagine extra about social justice, variety, and inclusion and communicate about fixing the centuries-old challenges. Resolving these difficulties is the essential to a thriving modern society,” Goodman reported.

WRTV Photo: Shakkira Harris

The Robert Goodman DEI artwork exhibit operates as a result of the complete month of July. You can understand far more about the business at robertgoodmanjewelers.com, on Fb, and on Instagram.

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WRTV Digital Reporter Shakkira Harris can be achieved at [email protected]. You can comply with her on Twitter, @shakkirasays.