Witmark
Witmark was a catalog showroom and jewelry/electronics chain that operated in West Michigan from 1969 to 1997. The chain was founded by Paul Leven.

Over its nearly 30-year history, Witmark dominated the jewelry market with an average of a 34% market share. The organization made it a point to develop and keep close ties with the communities the stores served.

By the early 1990s, Witmark's earnings began to decrease due to continued involvement in unprofitable categories outside of jewelry. Big box stores such as Best Buy, Circuit City, Toys "R" Us, Dick's Sporting Goods, and MC Sports captured the electronics, toy, and sports markets respectively and more effectively than Witmark could.

In 1996, Witmark experienced its fourth consecutive year of declining sales and earnings, and the company announced changes to its operating strategy. Unfortunately, vast barriers—such as long-term leases on real estate—limited the company's ability to adapt to the changing business climate. The following year, Witmark liquidated its assets and laid off its 700+ employees. Like the larger national chains of catalog showrooms (such as Best Products), the retail concept collapsed in the late 1990s due to overwhelming competition from big box stores and Internet shopping.
Q5051306
catalog showroom
Concept
Q161439
jewelry
Concept
Q11650
electronics
Concept
Q3358100
West Michigan
LOC
Q533415
Best Buy
ORG
Q1140946
Circuit City
ORG
Q696334
Toys "R" Us
ORG
Q5272601
Dick's Sporting Goods
ORG
Q6715088
MC Sports
ORG
Q11422
toy
Concept
Q349
sports
Concept
Q4896783
Best Products
ORG
Q16766413
big box store
Concept
Q212930
Internet shopping
Concept
Q8028362
Witmark
ORG
Q8028362
Witmark
ORG
Q8028362
Witmark
ORG
Q8028362
Witmark
ORG
Q8028362
Witmark
ORG
Q8028362
Witmark
ORG
1969-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1969
DATE
1997-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1997
DATE
1990-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1990
DATE
1996-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1996
DATE
1990-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1990
DATE
+30^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
30
NUMBER
+34^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
34
NUMBER
inception
manufacturer