Photos in the Belfast Live report courtesy of Justin Kernoghan and reporter Connor Lynch of https://www.belfastlive.co.uk with thanks to both & Added cycling photos BP media
A Belfast jeweller has been cycling across Northern Ireland to deliver items to his customers so he can maintain a strong relationship with them. Sean Hardon has run Lauren May Jewellery in Belfast city centre’s Queen’s Arcade for the past 26 years after making his “dream” move from England to set up a business in the home of his father. He says that he had spent many holidays as a child visiting his family in East Belfast and developed a love for the city that never left him as he grew up. His mum ran an amber jewellery business in London and he decided to join the family trade and in 1995 he opened the store in the city centre which specialises in silver jewellery. Speaking to Belfast Live, he said: “My father is from East Belfast so growing up we would have always come over for holidays and to see family. I have always loved the city and had dreamed of eventually moving over here to live“
“I opened the shop in 1995, with it being named in honour of my mum and niece who was born around that time, since then we have certainly seen a lot of changes in the city for the better and it has been very good to us and I am very thankful to all of our customers who have supported us over the years.” During lockdown and the Covid pandemic, Sean found that he was getting a lot more orders from his website as opposed to people coming into the shop. A firm believer in customer service and a passionate cyclist, he decided that he would go the extra mile to continue his engagement with customers and began doing deliveries on his bike. He said: “I have always felt that jewellery is something that you need to buy in person so that you know exactly what you are getting and if it suits you or not“
“Being an avid cyclist, I took the opportunity to do the deliveries in person, cycling to customers’ doors so that they are able to see their items and decide on them before making it final. “So far the furthest that I have cycled was Cullybacky, which was a 74-mile round trip, although most of my deliveries would be in the Lisburn and Carrickfergus areas “It has certainly been a surprise to some of the customers when I show up on my bike but the feedback I have received so far has been great and I am happy to be able to combine two things that I really enjoy, meeting with customers and cycling.”
