Bonita jeweler Henricks enters Naples market

Last April, sole owner Rick Grimes invited two people into the business who have experience in operating multiple stores. Until then, Grimes said, he didn't have the resources to expand the superstore.

"I didn't want to do it myself," said Grimes, who founded the store with his late father, Henry. The name Henricks comes from a combination of their names.

Grimes had been thinking about expanding into Naples a few years ago, but when the economy turned for the worse, he put his plans on hold. He said customer demand for another store has been getting higher and higher.

Henricks is a full-service jewelry store, meaning they sell, service and manufacture jewelry. They employ five gemologists and eight jewelers.

Grimes said his new partners, Patrick Hopper and Kevin Waters, are the right team to expand the business.

Hopper, chief financial officer and co-president, had been CFO for Little Switzerland, which is based in the Caribbean, and comes from a systems and merchandising side of the business. He said it's difficult to expand a business, but it was time for Henricks to move into Naples.

"There's tremendous opportunity down there," he said.

Waters, chief executive officer and co-president, has worked in consulting and recruiting for the jewelry industry, and has been a vice president at Mayor's Jewelers and in senior management for Zales. Hopper and Waters own a store in Orlando, The Diamond Gallery.

Bruce Yamron, president and CEO of Yamron Jewelers, said he sees Henricks as colleagues, not competition.

"We strive toward the higher-end customer, and they go more toward the general public," said Yamron, whose business has been in Naples for 30 years. "I could not compete with them in what they do well."

Henricks' first store in Bonita was 700 square feet. Today, they're in a 12,000-square-foot store. The Naples location, on U.S. 41 and Neapolitan Way, is around 4,500 square feet.

Dixie Pappas, who was shopping for diamond stud earrings at the Naples Henricks store earlier this week, said it's not quite as intimidating as the Bonita store.

Her husband, Milton, said he likes Henricks because prices are right and there's no pressure from the sales staff. He's also happy to avoid the commute to Bonita.

"I never did like the ride up there," he said.