Inside the new Lulu Frost & Co. boutique in Halesite, Huntington, Long Island, is a photo of the founder, Lisa Salzer’s grandmother, displayed on a vitrine. It is a fitting homage to the late Elizabeth Frost, whose career inspired her granddaughter to begin her own. “She managed Park Place Estate Jewelry in Lambertville, New Jersey, carrying Georgian, Edwardian, Victorian, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, 70s and 80s Cartier, Tiffany, and stage jewelry. She was an amazing sleuth in identifying the jewelry and was well respected,” Salzer said in an interview. Now, as the jeweler enters what she calls ‘Lulu Frost 3.0’, Salzer is paying homage to her grandma and refuting the idea that you can never go home again
“Long Island, especially the Gold Coast, is a very stylish place,” said Salzer in an interview. Having honed her retail skills working in boutiques in Huntington, LI, the jeweler understood the appetite for a store such as Lulu Frost & Co., which showcases its namesake jewelry and other brands Salzer loves, and felt it was a fitting location. She discovered the space organically as a resident.
“I live in Huntington Bay and go to the Southdown shopping area often during the week for all my needs. It’s just the perfect little shopping zone, with many great stores and places to get coffee and baked goods,” Salzar said at the store’s opening. On one trip, she noticed the ‘For Rent’ sign and had an A-ha moment.
“It’s in the center of a well-established network of businesses that have catered to this community for many decades, and it’s so convenient for people to pop in while taking care of other errands,” she added
Staying local is the theme throughout the store. “The concept is a multi-brand boutique, with a focus on local creators like the fashion lines Proche and Moliko, and handmade ceramics by Stephanie Perry of Cabine. I love the idea of opening up the shop to local Long Island creators to create a sort of community feel here at Lulu Frost & Co.,” she explained.
It also aligns with the brand’s growth trajectory, as the rear of the store also serves as a workspace for creating jewelry for e-commerce sales and the growing wholesale business. According to CEO Benedetta Casamento,the brand recently signed Crescala, a wholesale sales showroom, to reignite Lulu Frost distribution in retailers both domestically and overseas.
Speaking of sales abroad, the jeweler is opening her first pop-up at Le Bon Marche at the end of this month, which will continue until the end of the year. Working with the charm bar concepts, clients will be able to build their own charm-centric necklaces and bracelets, choosing from newly manufactured charms designed by Salzer or from her vast array of vintage charms. Offerings come in 14K-plated TK styles and 14K gold styles.
The store will be part of a multi-brand Holiday Market at the premier Left Bank department store. “We are offering many special products at the pop-up, including a special collection of charms created from vintage and antique miniature toys and blocks for a whimsical feel. The overall theme of the market is truly a traditional Bavarian Christmas market, with an influence on vintage and traditional styles, so the Lulu Frost aesthetic core of ‘tradition, modernized’ will be right at home within the offering at the venerable Le Bon Marche,” Salzer explained.
The Lulu Frost brand has evolved since its founding in 2004. By 2020, due to the pandemic and the bankruptcy of one of her most significant retail partners, Neiman Marcus, her business had scaled back. She kept her operations going when her brand entered into a new partnership with Jared Jewelers, featuring a collection that offers signature Plaza font letters set with diamonds, 10K gold, and vintage charms. Earlier this year, Lulu Frost participated in the Goldrush jewelry trade show, which led to retail exposure at White Bird in Paris and the pop-up as well.
Elizabeth Frost would surely be beaming with pride if she were around today to witness her granddaughter’s success spanning the globe, now landing in Paris. Salzer is humbled and grateful for what her grandmother taught her, which has contributed to her success.
“What I learned spending time with my grandmother at Park Place Jewelers was people’s love for jewelry, how meaningful it is for life’s milestones, and how to sell it.”