Borsheims Renovates Flagship to Elevate Engagement Ring Shopping Experience

When Berkshire Hathaway shareholders gather in Omaha on May 2 for the company's annual meeting, they'll be among the last to see Borsheims in its current form. Construction crews are scheduled to move in shortly after the meeting adjourns, launching a multi-million-dollar overhaul that will transform 20,000 square feet of the 156-year-old jeweler's flagship at Regency Shopping Center.

The redesign, led by Omaha-based architecture firm HDR and built by contractor Kiewit, will renovate 43 percent of the 46,570-square-foot store. The most visible change comes at the entrance: the existing multi-story glass facade is coming down, replaced by gold-accented perforated metal panels, backlit after dark, in a reference to both the store's new direction and the jewelry it sells. Inside, the closed, case-heavy floor plan gives way to an open-concept layout with a dedicated luxury salon for high-end collections, additional branded boutiques, and expanded seating designed to support private consultations.

For couples shopping for engagement rings, that last detail is the crux of it. Jaci Stuifbergen, Borsheims' director of marketing and commerce, explained the thinking plainly: "The way luxury consumers want to shop has evolved. For us, renovating means presenting ourselves in a modern light in order to provide our customers with the best experience possible." She added: "We want our customers to know that their shopping environment deserves to match the elevated pieces they're purchasing."

The consultation-first approach is a direct response to how engaged couples now approach selecting solitaires and halo settings. Destination jewelers in New York and Chicago have long competed on private-appointment culture as much as on stone quality; Borsheims is now building that infrastructure permanently into its architecture rather than staging it ad hoc in existing space.

President and CEO Karen Goracke described the project as a repositioning of the store's identity. "The reimagined flagship will boast improvements that showcase our exceptional collections in custom curated displays and provide an elevated luxury environment to serve our customers, reinforcing Borsheims as a destination," she said.

The renovation proceeds in two phases through early November 2026, with the store remaining open throughout. Stuifbergen acknowledged the shareholder meeting timing directly, noting it would be "the last one where they will see this version of Borsheims pre-renovation."

For a retailer that Berkshire Hathaway acquired in 1989 and that now serves customers across all 50 states and six continents, the renovation is a structural argument: the physical store, built around the quiet ritual of choosing an engagement ring, still outperforms any digital shortcut couples have at their fingertips.