IndependentsFeb 17, 2021
Marla Aaron’s Latest Vending Machine Supports the Struggling Restaurant IndustryEditorsFeb 22, 2022
Out & About: The Designer With a Gumball Machine at Bergdorf
It’s Marla Aaron, who previously had a jewelry vending machine in the Brooklyn Museum.
A shot inside Marla Aaron’s “residency” at Bergdorf Goodman, which will continue through the end of March. (Photo credit: Richard Cadan)
When my parents first started dating more than five decades ago, my mom broke it off after a couple months.
She had just started college in Clarion, Pennsylvania, and wanted to be free to enjoy it, not be tied down in a relationship with a guy who lived 90 miles away in Pittsburgh.
So, she wrote him a Dear John letter telling him so—the ‘60s equivalent of a sliding out of the DMs.
Years later, as she was about to graduate, she ran into my dad again, at an establishment called the After Dark Lounge in Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania. He was drunk but had the wherewithal to reintroduce himself and give my mother a plastic skull ring out of a toy vending machine, along with a promise that he’d call.
When my mother left After Dark with her friend that night, she said something along the lines of, “That guy’s not going to call me. He was drunk; he’s not going to remember even seeing me.”
Fifty-two years later (and luckily for me), my mom was wrong.
I’ve been thinking a lot about that vending machine ring, the power of jewelry as totem, and the joy of the unexpected after visiting with a designer and her jewelry vending machine in a setting slightly more upscale than the After Dark Lounge.
A couple Fridays ago, I trudged uptown through yet another miserable bout of winter weather to meet with Marla Aaron and her company’s head of marketing, Sarah Daniel, at Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Aaron currently has a temporary presence inside the iconic department store in the form of what I’ve heard referred to as both a “residency” and a “takeover.”
What it is, basically, is a shop-in-shop occupying a small space that serves as a passageway between the main jewelry show floor and the elevators. And it is, for now at least, all Marla Aaron and all masterminded by Daniel.
The space is decorated with the same detailed wallpaper, custom-made by Timorous Beasties, Aaron has in her New York City showroom.
The ceiling is made to look like fordite—a material Aaron utilizes quite a bit—and the case displays, like Aaron’s jewelry, are utilitarian and beautiful at the same time.
I love the peg boards mixed in among the traditional neck forms; they remind of me my dad’s workbench in the basement of my childhood home.
Also included among the jewelry are large-scale, decorative versions of the various pieces of hardware that make Aaron’s jewelry function. The large spirals, for example, mirror the threading in her signature locks.
She had just started college in Clarion, Pennsylvania, and wanted to be free to enjoy it, not be tied down in a relationship with a guy who lived 90 miles away in Pittsburgh.
So, she wrote him a Dear John letter telling him so—the ‘60s equivalent of a sliding out of the DMs.
Years later, as she was about to graduate, she ran into my dad again, at an establishment called the After Dark Lounge in Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania. He was drunk but had the wherewithal to reintroduce himself and give my mother a plastic skull ring out of a toy vending machine, along with a promise that he’d call.
When my mother left After Dark with her friend that night, she said something along the lines of, “That guy’s not going to call me. He was drunk; he’s not going to remember even seeing me.”
Fifty-two years later (and luckily for me), my mom was wrong.
I’ve been thinking a lot about that vending machine ring, the power of jewelry as totem, and the joy of the unexpected after visiting with a designer and her jewelry vending machine in a setting slightly more upscale than the After Dark Lounge.
A couple Fridays ago, I trudged uptown through yet another miserable bout of winter weather to meet with Marla Aaron and her company’s head of marketing, Sarah Daniel, at Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Aaron currently has a temporary presence inside the iconic department store in the form of what I’ve heard referred to as both a “residency” and a “takeover.”
What it is, basically, is a shop-in-shop occupying a small space that serves as a passageway between the main jewelry show floor and the elevators. And it is, for now at least, all Marla Aaron and all masterminded by Daniel.
The space is decorated with the same detailed wallpaper, custom-made by Timorous Beasties, Aaron has in her New York City showroom.
The ceiling is made to look like fordite—a material Aaron utilizes quite a bit—and the case displays, like Aaron’s jewelry, are utilitarian and beautiful at the same time.
I love the peg boards mixed in among the traditional neck forms; they remind of me my dad’s workbench in the basement of my childhood home.
Also included among the jewelry are large-scale, decorative versions of the various pieces of hardware that make Aaron’s jewelry function. The large spirals, for example, mirror the threading in her signature locks.
Inside Marla Aaron’s cases at Bergdorf Goodman, traditional neck forms mix with the designer’s signature whimsy and creativity. See: the peg boards, the spirals mimicking the threading inside her locks, the chunk of uncut fordite, and the pin art toy at the top, a nod to “The Pins Charm.” (Photo credit: Richard Cadan)
In addition to being creative, Aaron’s Bergdorf displays abide by another cardinal rule of visual merchandising: don’t make display cases too crowded. (Photo credit: Richard Cadan)
The centerpiece of this mini showroom is the jewelry-dispensing gumball machine.
“Automated retail,” Aaron said, “is something I feel very strongly about.”
It’s also something the designer has experimented with in the past, as Aaron is the one who had the jewelry vending machine I went to see in the Brooklyn Museum a few years ago.
This gumball machine is not a device that needs a great amount of introduction; it works like the basic gumball- or toy-dispensing machine you’d hit up on your way out of Kmart.
But instead of sticking a quarter in the slot and turning, customers must buy a $110 token (this is Bergdorf, after all) from one of the sales associates in order to make it work.
Then they simply insert the token, turn the knob and, voila, a tiny, clear plastic egg emerges with a sterling silver “Babylock,” the smallest version of Aaron’s signature style and the piece she considers the “gateway” to her entire collection.
Now, here is where the unexpected joy comes into play.
Mixed in among the small silver locks at first was a rose gold and diamond “Baby Heartlock,” which someone got, and now there’s a yellow gold and diamond Babylock. Insert that token, and you might be the lucky one who ends up with a little something extra.
While I was interviewing Aaron and Daniel at Bergdorf, I got the chance to see the machine in action.
A young woman wearing a few Marla Aaron pieces and proclaiming herself to have an “obsession” with the brand came in and bought a token.
An Alabama native who now lives in Washington, D.C., she was in New York City for the weekend with her boyfriend and said she just had to come in after seeing the gumball machine on Instagram.
The air was heavy with excitement while Aaron and I filmed her attempt for social media. Will she get the yellow gold and diamond lock?!? I was genuinely rooting for this person I’d never met before.
Ultimately, she did not, but it was fun anyway, just like Aaron and her jewelry.
Aaron shows her latest creative retail venture some love. (Photo credit: Richard Cadan)
This space in Bergdorf, Aaron told me, is her brand’s U.S. department store debut, with the designer admitting she was initially resistant to the idea of a department store because she doesn’t feel they fit the way her jewelry is sold.
She likes to take out a bunch of locks and let her customers play, see how the pieces they already own are going to work with new pieces. It brings out creativity in the wearer and is a big part of what has made Aaron such a collectible success story.
Yet in most department stores in America, “it’s this idea of the case,” Aaron said, of things being locked away and displayed on neck forms.
At Bergdorf, though, there is a private room that allows for a more Marla Aaron-like appointment.
And the brand was able inject a bit of its DNA into the display cases, mixing in the large-scale hardware elements, the peg boards, and pieces of “raw” fordite among the traditional jewelry display forms.
So, will she stay after her shop-in-shop’s time is up?
“There’s always an opportunity,” Aaron said.
Marla Aaron’s Bergdorf Goodman residency, including her gumball machine, continues through March 30.
And the brand was able inject a bit of its DNA into the display cases, mixing in the large-scale hardware elements, the peg boards, and pieces of “raw” fordite among the traditional jewelry display forms.
So, will she stay after her shop-in-shop’s time is up?
“There’s always an opportunity,” Aaron said.
Marla Aaron’s Bergdorf Goodman residency, including her gumball machine, continues through March 30.
More on Editors
The Latest
CollectionsApr 24, 2024
Pippa Small Announces ‘Venus’ CollectionInspired by the Roman goddess of love, the designer looked to the sea for her new collection.
FinancialsApr 24, 2024
Kering’s Jewelry Brands a Bright Spot in Tough Q1The luxury titan posted declining sales, weighed down by Gucci’s poor performance.
CrimeApr 24, 2024
Jewelry Crime Declines Significantly, But Dollar Losses Remain High A double-digit drop in the number of in-store crimes was offset by a jump in off-premises attacks, JSA’s 2023 crime report shows.
Brought to you by
The Blueprint for Success in Scalable, Personalized Jewelry RetailWith Ho Brothers, you can unlock your brand's true potential and offer customers the personalized jewelry experiences they desire.
Events & AwardsApr 24, 2024
JCK Industry Fund Announces 2024 Grant RecipientsThe selected nine organizations have outlined their plans for the funds.
Weekly QuizApr 19, 2024
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these seven questions.
SourcingApr 24, 2024
Rio Tinto’s Q1 Production Drops Amid Pause to Honor Lost Colleagues The mining company’s Diavik Diamond Mine lost four employees in a plane crash in January.
ColumnistsApr 23, 2024
The Smart Lab: Advanced Email Marketing Strategies for Mother’s DayEmmanuel Raheb recommends digging into demographic data, customizing your store’s communications, and retargeting ahead of May 12.
Brought to you by
How Jewelers of America Represents Your BusinessFor over 30 years, JA has advocated for the industry, fought against harmful legislation and backed measures that help jewelry businesses.
IndependentsApr 23, 2024
Hannoush Jewelers Opens New Store in New York Located in the town of Queensbury, it features a dedicated bridal section and a Gabriel & Co. store-in-store.
SourcingApr 23, 2024
Lucapa Sells 3 Diamonds for $10.5M in First Lulo Tender of 2024A 203-carat diamond from the alluvial mine in Angola achieved the highest price.
GradingApr 23, 2024
GIA Has a New Book About William RuserRuser was known for his figural jewelry with freshwater pearls and for his celebrity clientele.
CollectionsApr 22, 2024
Jacquie Aiche’s New Campaign Stars Adam Levine, Behati PrinslooThe “Rebel Heart” campaign embodies rebellion, romance, and sensuality, the brand said.
SourcingApr 22, 2024
Virtual Diamond Boutique Rebrands as ‘VDB’The overhaul includes a new logo and enhanced digital marketplace.
MajorsApr 22, 2024
Signet Raises Nearly $9M for St. Jude Children’s Research HospitalThe money will go toward supporting ongoing research and aftercare programs for childhood cancer survivors.
CollectionsApr 19, 2024
Piece of the Week: Retrouvaí’s Treasure NecklaceA new addition to the “Heirloom” collection, this one-of-a-kind piece features 32 custom-cut gemstones.
CrimeApr 19, 2024
Grand Jury to Hear Case Against Jeweler Charged in Fatal Shove Following IJO ShowLast month in Dallas, David Walton pushed another jeweler, David Ettinger, who later died.
MajorsApr 19, 2024
Unique Designs Acquires China PearlThe move will allow the manufacturing company to offer a more “diverse and comprehensive” range of products.
GradingApr 19, 2024
AGS Ideal Report Now Available in Printed FormFrom now through mid-May, GIA will be offering the reports at a 50 percent discount.
SourcingApr 18, 2024
Diamond Trade Remains Cautious Amid Economic UncertaintyDe Beers’ rough diamond sales were down 18 percent year-over-year in its latest round of sales.
Supplier BulletinApr 18, 2024
Discover History’s Hidden Gems at the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch ShowSponsored by the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show
WatchesApr 18, 2024
Watch E-tailer Collectability Hires Kelly YochThe Patek Philippe expert will serve as personal curator for the brand-focused company.
WatchesApr 18, 2024
TAG Heuer Opens Its Largest Standalone Boutique at SeaThe 553-square-foot shop is aboard the Carnival Jubilee cruise ship.
Policies & IssuesApr 17, 2024
NDC Prevails in U.K. Case Over Lab-Grown Diamond AdvertisingNDC filed a complaint against Skydiamond for use of phrases like “diamonds made entirely from the sky.”
Events & AwardsApr 17, 2024
And the 2024 Winner of the Shipley Award Is … John Carter received the AGS’s highest honor Tuesday afternoon at Conclave in Austin, Texas.
FinancialsApr 17, 2024
LVMH’s Q1 Jewelry Sales Fall 5%LVMH said the company performed well despite an uncertain geopolitical and economic environment.
MajorsApr 17, 2024
Stuller’s B&D Opens New HeadquartersB&D Sales and Service held a ribbon-cutting event for its new location in Cranston, Rhode Island.
CollectionsApr 16, 2024
Akaila Reid Launches ‘Eat Cake’ CollectionIt’s ultra-feminine and filled with gold, pearls, and soft pastels.
