The Family Jewelers A son uses a franchise to follow in his father's jewelry-fixing footsteps.
By Devlin Smith
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
When Ben Vargas was little, he'd sit on his father's lapand watch him fix watches. Later, father and son workedside-by-side as jewelers for the Navy.
Today, Vargas, 39, is running his own shop. The owner of aFast-Fix Jewelry Repairs franchise in Temecula, California, Vargasrepairs, designs, engraves and makes jewelry and watches, andrepairs eyeglasses.
Vargas got his start as a Fast-Fix employee in San Diego, afterhe and his father lost their Navy contract. Impressed with hissalesmanship, the location's owner offered to sell Vargas hisbusiness. That deal fell through, but Vargas was able to buy alocation from another franchisee in 1996. The only problem was, thestore was two and a half hours away from his home, making for anawful commute and little family time.
Finally, in 1999, Vargas built a new store in Temecula, betweenSan Diego and Los Angeles, and moved his family there. Withaccounting and sales help from his wife, Corinne, within a year anda half, the store's sales ranked in the top 15 for the Fast-Fixsystem.
And reminiscent of the childhood days he and his brothers (oneof whom was inspired by Vargas to become a Fast-Fix franchiseehimself in San Diego) spent accompanying their father to work,Vargas brings his two sons to the shop. The boys, ages 4 and 8,each have little drawers filled with broken watches and otherpieces to tinker with.
"Both my boys will probably [get into this business],"Vargas says. "They don't have to if they don't wantto, but the opportunity is there, and they'll probably takeit."
Contact Source
- Fast Fix Jewelry Repairs
(909) 296-0727, bennyv@aol.com
