Brady Drake
Photos By Hillary Ehlen
Buying a diamond. The mere mention of it can bring about a multitude of different emotions. In most cases, we think of love and how one wants to solidify their love for another in the form of an engagement, wedding or a gift. Diamonds are the perfect representation of that.
Yet, purchasing a diamond can no doubt be a stressful ordeal. Are you getting the right cut? The right size band? Do you have the finances to showcase your love to your significant other? Those are certainly a few of the questions swirling around in the heads of those who enter Wimmer’s Diamonds on a daily basis.
While you will most certainly get those questions answered coupled with excellent customer service by the experts at Wimmer’s, they are not your first point of contact upon walking into the store. First, you’ll be greeted by the five-year-old French Bulldog Rosie. Any stress you had about purchasing a diamond drifts away once you see Rosie’s face staring up at you.
Aaron Wimmer, President of Wimmer’s Diamonds is happy to have his Frenchie greet his customers day in and day out. However, Wimmer originally did not want a dog at all. It took some stealthy maneuvers by his spouse to change his mind. “Living in a second-floor condo, I didn’t want a dog,” said Wimmer. “My spouse made a non-refundable down payment to the breeder without telling me and that’s how Rosie came into our lives.”
While Wimmer could have no doubt got a little upset at the way his spouse got Rosie, he couldn’t stay mad for long. Rosie immediately became a part of the Wimmer family with her friendly personality. So the Wimmers made due in that second-floor condo and have not looked back since.
Wimmer’s Diamonds has been an institution in our area for over 100 years. With Rosie being a new member of the family, it was only right to get her involved in the family business. While she won’t be selling diamonds to customers per se, she is working the floor 40 hours a week. When Aaron moved to the Downtown Fargo location, he thought bringing Rosie on full-time might be a good venture.
“When I transitioned to our Downtown Fargo location, I decided it might be nice to have a “Shop Dog” to greet clients when they walk in the front door,” he said. “Rosie has such a sweet and friendly demeanor. People come in just to see her!”
Offering up a “shop dog” can sometimes prove risky for business owners, but Wimmer has seen no faults in letting Rosie greet customers each day. While she may not bring in commissions for items sold, she is most certainly rewarded with plenty of treats and scratches. In Rosie’s world, those are better than hard-earned cash anyway.
Rosie has brought a lot to the business side of Wimmer’s Diamonds. However, she has brought the team behind Wimmer’s closer together as well. Not only that, Aaron and his spouse have been brought closer together thanks to Rosie’s pleasant and caring personality. It’s certainly proven infectious on everyone around her.
“Rosie has added so much love to our household and a home-like quality to Wimmer’s Diamonds Downtown,” Wimmer said. “Our work environment would not be quite the same without Rosie joining us every day.”
Isn’t that miraculous? In a society where businesses are dying to bring their company and team together, all it took was Rosie. Since she has come into the Downtown location, the Wimmer’s Diamonds team has seen their culture cultivate itself. It would be easy to lose productivity with a dog in your workplace, but the exact opposite has occurred at Wimmer’s. In fact, the team has been more productive with Rosie in their midst.
That does not occur at all without Rosie’s owners first showing her the love she and all pets deserve. When thinking of his advice to local pet owners, Wimmer boiled it down to a few simple points. “Be patient. Be kind. Love them,” he said. “They just want you to love them and they will show you love in return.”
Wimmer indicates that Fargo is becoming a much more pet-friendly city. While you always find Rosie at Wimmer’s, she also loves strolls through Island Park and heading over to Silver Linings Creamery for a fido treat (or maybe some human ice cream). With more and more businesses becoming pet-friendly environments, Rosie has become somewhat of a local pet celebrity.
She may not pick up commissions, but that aspect of the job is not important to Rosie. The Frenchie is more concerned with those customers and co-workers that stroll through the door each day. Some may be having a panic attack about purchasing a diamond and others may be excited about being able to tangibly showcase their love to another.
In both instances, they will be greeted by the same face when they walk into Wimmer’s Diamonds. All you have to do is look down and see Rosie smiling and whatever stress you had falls by the wayside. It takes a special animal to do that and Rosie is that special animal.
Rosie’s Favorite Things In Fargo
For food, treats and toys
Natural Pet Center
3037 13th Ave S
For walks and socializing
Island Park
598 1st Ave S #514
For human and dog alike
Silver Lining Creamery
123 Broadway N
Favorite Part Of Fargo
According to dad, Rosie loves Island Park. She loves it more when the paparazzi catches up with her. “She seems to have become somewhat of a local celebrity, often getting noticed as ‘The Dog from Wimmer’s’ as we walk through the park,” Wimmer said.
