You see, the O’s have a different opinion than you and me. And this shows a great lesson I learned from my grandfather. He used to say, “when you point your finger at someone, there’s always three other fingers pointing back at you.” In other words, we are often guilty of exactly that which we accuse others of doing. If you’re a Baltimore sports fan you certainly know who Nestor Aparicio is. And if you’re a Baltimore Orioles fan, you most certainly know of Nestor’s “challenging” relationship with our beloved Birds. Nestor orchestrated the walkout that took place some 13 years ago, called “Free The Birds.” That began (or ended in this case) a hostile relationship between him and the O’s. They, and his detractors, accused him of hating the team. He has always maintained that he loves the team, just questions and dislikes ownership. And why wouldn’t he? The team that he and I grew up worshiping with pride and awe, is now a laughingstock. And worse, a laughingstock that produces a tremendous income for ownership. I was a batboy at an O’s game when I was 9 years old. My dad gave $1200 twenty-five years ago (not a small sum) for me to be part of an experience that would last a lifetime. I have a 6 year old son. He happens to be a great baseball player. Unfortunately, with the state of the O’s the way it’s been since before his birth, he doesn’t even know who they are. He’d rather watch the Yankees (my wife’s from NY) or some other winning franchise. If the opportunity for him came to be the batboy at an O’s game, I’m not sure I could pay him $1200 to do it. Of course, I’m exaggerating. But the point is clear. Ownership has continued to deliver an inferior product to its fans. And fans have spoken loudly by not going to the games, even for a measly buck. Nestor and his sponsors (myself included) tried to help out, but the O’s refused to even sell the tickets. So, I ask you, who really hates the O’s more? And how did my grandfather know so much?

From the Baltimore Business Journal:

Ron Samuelson, CEO of Samuelson’s Diamonds in Baltimore, uses Twitter – a communication service emblazoned with a  bird logo – to spur business and attributes much of his success of the year-old account to the service.

Samuelson also has used Facebook and personal blogging to reach customers who would otherwise see him as just a guy sitting behind a counter, pandering diamonds.

…

Samuelson’s shop of 10 employees was starting in 1922, far from the days of tweets and Facebook fan pages.

“The crowd I do business with now are very tech-savvy, so we have a full service Web site too, where we drive all our traffic,” Samuelson said.

From JCK Magazine:

Facebook’s personal nature is one of the things that draw people to it. Samuelson feels it’s important for a page to have personality. “One customer who friend-requested me said, ‘That’s so cool. You are just a regular guy who plays guitar,” notes Samuelson. “And that is what sales is—you find something in common with somebody.”

From MD Daily Record:

After 87 years and three generations of selling engagement rings, the Samuelsons are trying real estate development on for size.

The family-run business, anchored by a retail diamond store at the corner of West Baltimore and North Paca streets, is teaming up with Baltimore County developer David S. Brown Enterprises and Washington-based firm A&R Development to return a key downtown Baltimore block between the University of Maryland and the central business district to its former glory as a “thriving downtown area.”

Where did they find me?  A PR firm?  An ad agency?  Did I give them free diamonds?  NO!  From MY BLOG and TWITTER FEED.  So all of you business owners out there need to get on the bus and take the ride.

As Jerry Garcia said, “The bus come by and I got on, that’s where it all began…”

My great grandfather, Samuel Samuelson, (yes you read it right) was an immigrant from Lithuania. He first owned a hay, feed and grain store (this was before there were cars) and then a bar. His five sons and a daughter were all born above that bar. Our store, a pawnshop, was actually founded by my great uncle, Aaron Samuelson, the oldest of the brothers. This store was the financier of all Samuelson Family business, whether it was real estate deals or other stores. One was Crown Loan, another Baltimore pawn shop, and Tommy Tucker Five and Dime Shops. In 1936, my grandfather, who was the youngest, bought our business from his older brother Aaron and it flourished. My father came to work in the 60′s and I’ve been here since I was a kid in the 80′s, on summer breaks and Saturdays. When I got here full time in 1994, we were a very successful pawnbroker and jeweler. Sure I liked the guitars and other cool stuff, but it was diamonds that interested me the most. I do believe that the pawn business suffered from the Home Depot’s, Guitar Center’s and Walmart’s of the world. Ebay became a big help to move stuff, but you can also argue that it hurts the pawnshop, as people can find pretty much anything second hand at a good price.

Anyway, I took my last Stratocaster and a nice Paul Reed Smith and I got rid of the other stuff. Just concentrated on jewelry and started catering to my website customers. There was, of course, a HUGE magnetic force of resistance coming from my father, and understandably so. The business had served him and his father very well. Why change? Why screw up a good thing? In 2003, when my brother-in-law, David, came on board, we tore it up. Why? One thing my grandfather always said was, “Change with the times.” There you go. Aside from the fact the I love the jewelry business, you have to change. And it’s for the better.

We partnered with David S Brown Enterprises and A & R Development and not only did we build ourselves a beautiful new jewelry store, but we’re making this block beautiful. PNC Bank, Five Guys, Panera Bread, and other major retailers will be our tenants and this will be a neighborhood that people will want to visit.

So CHECK OUT OUR FLICKR PAGE to take a look at the progress of our new store. Soon you’re gonna walk in and I’ll put up a video of your favorite song on the plasma, and we’ll hang out and talk about diamonds – or about music or sports or whatever you want. Get ready for the new Samuelson’s Experience in 2009 and take a look at one of my favorite videos that gives me chills every time I see it:

Oh yeah, and we have three new websites on the way…