Club Jibarito: Luxurious jewelry stores in San Juan, Puerto Rico

For almost a decade, Club Jibarito has set the standards of luxury retail in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Today we are one of the few stores, worldwide, to offer such a wide array of elite brands. We are proud to share with you our history. Its humble beginnings and the encounter of three men from different origins who became friends and formed a unique and exemplary partnership. An extraordinary group of people that learned to combine their strength using their diversity as an advantage, a secret that helped them advance very fast in one of the most competitive industries.

Early Days
In 1990 Ilias Verras a young man from Athens Greece came to Puerto Rico and opened a tiny gallery under the staircase on 202 Cristo St in Old San Juan. This small gallery soon expanded taking the storefront in the same building. He started importing artistic high end jewelry from his native country and became known for the unique quality of its products among locals and visitors.

Ilias passion for cigars and the island of Cuba lead him to meet two long time friends Jose Enrique Rosell originally from La Habana and Francisco Javier Garcia born in the Basque region of Spain. They immediately became friends and started traveling together in Cuba and the Dominican Republic -islands that Jose and Javier knew very well- looking for business opportunities. Their dream was to establish a cigar factory. And in matter of few months they did. Javier and Jose moved near Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic -where the factory was- in a remote village called “Villa Gonzalez”. Ilias was paying frequent visit to his friends. The result was not what they were expecting. The factory was perfectly organized with more than 80 rollers but often without the prime tobacco to elaborate their cigars.

It was very scarce at this time due to an international “boom” in the industry. The operation was not cost efficient anymore and they decided instead of maintaining a factory to use a friend’s installations to roll their cigars. Jose and Javier moved back to Puerto Rico and the three together made the Jibarito cigar along with two other brands using Puerto Rican tobacco.

Making of a concept
At the beginning they were using the back space of the jewelry store as headquarters. In the venture entered as an investor the cigar legend Avo Uvezian. He later sold his part to the company, but during the years of his participation he supported very much the three partners and even today he is honored and considered part of the family of Club Jibarito. The coming success lead them to dedicate the whole store to cigars and expensive men’s accessories. Thus the name Club Jibarito was born. The house of Jibarito cigars. The slogan “boys are us” immediately attracted the best local and tourist clientele.
Soon the most significant male accessory, the wrist watch, became the major product of the store. The first man that believed Club Jibarito’s potential and entrusted his brand to the store was the President of Ulysse Nardin, Rolf Schnyder with the strong recommendation of his Vice President Patrik Hoffman In the following years with the introduction of almost all legendary names of watch making Club Jibarito became a “par excellence” destination for timepieces. Today is consecrated as the true temple of Haute Horlogerie in the region. The frequent visits of female clients made the three partners return to jewelry adding luxury products dedicated specifically to women. Soon Italian couture designers were displaying their magnificent jewelry next to the horological complications of the centuries old Swiss watch making companies.

Expansion

In 2000, a Club Jibarito opened at the well known El San Juan Hotel and Casino in Isla Verde. The acquisition of the historic 202 Cristo Street building in 2004 was a very significant step. Club Jibarito thus owned its headquarters and flagship store where everything originally began. This renovated, four hundred years old building, used to be a noble residence near the Cathedral and the Governor’s mansion. Inside, special spaces were built for different brands. The addition of the only Chopard Boutique on the island makes Cristo 202 “a veritable luxury center in the heart of the old town”. Later in the same year Club Jibarito opened its doors in Plaza las Américas, the most important mall on the island.

Future
Today the three partners are still facing the future with the vision and adventurous spirit of their earliest days. The most recent acquisition is a commercial property on 1022 Ashford Ave in Condado. It is a flourishing area that is becoming the new destination for luxury products. This building, and has the most privileged position and is situated opposite the Vanderbilt Hotel. It will be ready in 2008 with state-of –the-art boutiques of Club Jibarito’s major brands.

Philosophy and Tradition

Despite its continuous growth Club Jibarito has always retained its distinct and inimitable character. The beauty of the products, the magic of the place, reliability and friendliness, personal touch and respect, create a chemistry that turns a visit to Club Jibarito into a very special experience. We issue a cordial invitation to discover this incomparable feeling. By becoming a part of our family you will discover that CLUB JIBARITO it is not just shopping.

IT’S A LIFETIME RELATIONSHIP.