During the height of the pandemic, when we were locked down, working from home, and stopped traveling, those with spending power started to purchase their fine jewelry online and on social media platforms such as Instagram. Scared, bored and with the extra money once used for vacations, women began feeling the need for a pick-me-up. Nothing lifts a womanâs spirits like a piece of jewelry that reflects her personal style, journey and beliefs or acts as a talisman. But when the country opened up again, women craved the satisfaction of seeing and trying on their jewelry in person with knowledgeable salespeople and a welcoming ambiance.
At the same time, independent jewelry designers, dealing with the consignment model of giving their jewelry to stores on memoâonly to be paid if and when a piece soldâdecided it was time to invest in themselves and to create more sales opportunities. As a designer, what better way to project your brandâs aesthetic than opening a store of your own? In the times we are living in, it was a brave move, but one that offers their loyal collectors and new customers a shopping environment that includes intricately curated, fantastical, playful and educational elements and that creates the desire to learn more about the designer and their own individual styles and to ultimately walk out with a piece they will love, add on to and wear with joy.
The Venue: Allison Lou, Madison Avenue, New York City, NY
Store Design: Step into Allison Louâs Madison Avenue shop and you are immediately drawn in by the bright red plaster archway and carpetâthe color is the brand’s signature. There are details of Louâs pastel jewelry palette, gold accents, and âgoodies and sweet treatsâ throughout the shop. You immediately sense the elevated whimsy and fun that runs throughout the collection.
Store Experiences: Special events and monthly piercing parties are open to the public. Lou hires a professional piercer, and piercings are complimentary with the purchase of any stud or huggie earrings. Customization is a high priority in the store. âThere are exclusive pieces only available in-store, including our one-of-a-kind pieces. If I have an idea and want to make it, The shop is the perfect outlet and testing ground for my creativity and higher-priced items.â Says Lou.
Store Details. âThe store windows have become a passion project of mine! I design monthly miniature window installations, itâs fun for me, and it stops people walking by.â Lou explains. Some of the installations she has created include a tiny living room with the essence of Christmas, stockings, a tree, Alison Lou presents, cookies and more. She set up a miniature dinner scene for Valentine’s Day with candles, chocolate love letters and Alison Lou gifts. She is currently working on a spring display that will be a miniature bodega scene with abundant flowers.
The Venue: Briony Raymond, New York City, NY
Store Design: âI wanted the space to make guests feel as if they are visiting me at home,â Raymond explains. âItâs luxe, comfortable, approachable, but it also has a touch of fantasy.â Upon entering, youâre transported to a relaxing yet expertly curated space, surrounded by some of Raymondâs favorite antique furniture, textiles, and artwork she collected throughout her travels, while others have been handed down. All create a warm and welcoming backdrop for the shop’s modern, antique and vintage jewelry.
Store Experiences: âWe have had jewelry book signings and other special events. We recently moved to a larger space and plan to host many different and enticing events in the future.â
Store Aesthetic: One of the most memorable elements of visiting the atelier is that clients can experience an environment designed to offer a sense of the inspiration behind Raymondâs designs and curation of estate jewelry. The space is a mix of clean-lined display cases and well-appointed elements of treasured decorative items placed throughout the shop. There is a plush waiting area and an intimate room with French doors and light streaming through the windows to discuss bespoke and custom pieces or work with Raymond privately, selecting and trying on different jewels. Each aspect of the shop’s design allows you to connect to Raymondâs sensibilities when choosing or designing the jewelry, making each purchase more meaningful and personalized.
The Venue: Eva Fehren, Rockefeller Center, New York City, NY Photographer Credit: Herring & Herring
Store Design: Modern and streamlined, largely in the stark pared-down contrast of black and white, Eva Fehrenâs shop in the heart of Manhattanâs Rockefeller Center reflects the jewelry aesthetic: edgy yet elegant, architectural yet softened by nuanced and artisanal elements. Eva Zuckerman, creative director and co-founder of Eva Fehren opened the shop in 2021 to introduce her clients to her influences that are reflective of New York City, where she lives and works. These include geometric and angular details, from the Chrysler Building to the crisscrossing of power lines and the intricate patterns of cracked sidewalks, which all appear in Fehrenâs silhouettes and exclusive diamond cuts.
Store Experiences: Since opening in 2021, the shop has hosted a floral arrangement event for Motherâs Day, launch parties for new collections and a two-week engagement ring pop-up from the beginning of February to Valentine’s Day 2022. These in-store customer experiences provide moments for deeper connections with clients and incentivize recurring store visits,â says Zuckerman.
The Sensibility: âThe Rockefeller Center store has been our first public opportunity to curate a holistic Eva Fehren experience. We wanted the space to be open and easy to navigate, to reflect its iconic location and our “tough but tender” brand ethos.â It’s important to us that customers feel comfortable to relax, explore, and, hopefully, find a piece of jewelry that is a true expression of themselves.â Zuckerman adds.
The Venue: Nak Armstrong, Austin, TX
Store Design: âMuch of the storeâs design inspiration was drawn from a visit my partner Walter and I made to Milan. The trip, which instilled a love for the cityâs Brutalist mid-twentieth architecture and its unique use of muted jewel tones, energized me to begin working on my space.â Says Nak Armstrong. A Milanese aesthetic is echoed throughout the store with eclectic textures, elements, patterns and finishes, which all come together to create a tactile, cohesive backdrop for the jewelry.
Store Details: One that strikes you the minute you enter the shop is the mosaic floor made of marble, slate, and terracottaâwhich Armstrong says âis a nod to Austinâs Latin American influence.â The trim for the shops is sphene-colored velvet, the brandâs signature color. Armstrong says, âI particularly love the large free-floating room in the front of the space covered in this velvet. It houses a small service bar and provides a big reveal for the clients as they transition from the entrance to the main display cases in the center of the store.â He continues, âFloor-to-ceiling windows flank the front and back of the store, providing incredible light and a sunny spot for lounge seating where linen drapes frame one side and a massive 10-foot tall succulent anchors the other.â Surfaces, from the pink and grey marble wall to the mosaic floors and the lacquered green cabinetry, reflect the motifs and colors of the Nak Armstrong jewelry collections.
Behind The Scenes: âI opened the store as a physical representation of our brand that clients embrace and react to in a very meaningful way. Many have seen the collection at other retailers like Bergdorf Goodman, but coming into our flagship boutique allows them to have a 360° experience with the brand and the opportunity to have one-on-one consultations to collaborate on custom pieces for their personal collections. Ultimately, weâre in a tactile industry, and if done right, thereâs no virtual substitute for the immersive experience of a brick-and-mortar store where you can communicate more fully the ethos of the brand.â
The Venue: Irene Neuwirth Madison Avenue, New York City
Store Design: Once inside the front door of Irene Neuwirthâs shop on Madison Avenue (which is her second storeâthe first one opened on Melrose in Los Angeles), you feel like you have left the sidewalks of Manhattanâs strip of chic designer shops and entered a magical, fantastical world where you happily lose yourself in some of Neuwirthâs favorite imagery, art and characters, not to mention her jewelry. To create the surrealistic design of the space, Neuwirth collaborated with Pam Shamshiri of Studio Shamshiri.
Store Details: âOur new home on Madison Avenue invites you to pause with wonderment and delight and to see things sideways and upside down,â says Neuwirth. It is filled with animal friends like Ginger, the giant giraffe (who is the tallest âbeingâ ever created by fantasist and artist Clare Crespo). Custom vitrines reveal a parade of charming fantasy creatures created by artist and set designer Shona Heath. These are the displays that bring Neuwirthâs signature playful, fine, expertly crafted jewelry pieces to life. While going from one enchanting display to another, you will walk through botanical gardens and take a mesmerizing path from upstairs to downstairs with a staircase that seems like a swirling optical illusion. On the lower level, you can sit in the living room, drink a tequila and kick back while you try on Neuwirthâs captivating jewels.
The Aesthetic: âI always want my stores to feel warm and inviting and not the least bit stuffy. The realization of my goal to bring the playful but elevated experience to Madison Avenue is a dream come true.â Says Neuwirth. âMuch like I feel about my jewelry, I hope that while visiting the shop, a bit of magic slips into everyday life.â