The announcement coincided with its full-year results, with growth driven by its jewelry brands.
Alexis Kletjian Forges Personal Connection with First Store
The designer is empowering herself and her business by taking retail into her own hands.
Kennett Square, Pa.--For jewelry designers, many aspects of their career rest in the hands of others. Designers are dependent on the approval of buyers and retailers, and don’t always have much of a say in how their work is presented.
Alexis Kletjian wasn’t satisfied with this model, or with simply selling her pieces online. She wanted to take the full experience of her fine jewelry into her own hands, and did so by opening her first brick-and-mortar store last September.
“I needed to take a risk and make a change,” Kletjian told National Jeweler. “I just felt like every time I turned around there was somebody else launching something or doing something and I felt like this is my true passion. I needed to invest in myself and do something meaningful for me that fed my soul.”
That investment is Alexis Kletjian Fine Jewelry, an approximately 500- to 600-square-foot “charming” storefront in the historic town of Kennett Square in Pennsylvania, home to about 6,000 people.
Kletjian and her family moved to the area a year before she opened the store.
“When we moved here, I said to my husband, ‘I want to open a store,’ and he jokingly said, ‘Please don’t,’” Kletjian recalled.
But with her two children in school full-time Kletjian was determined to make it happen. “I said I would give myself exactly a year to learn everything about the area.”
Kletjian wanted to jump into retail, because, despite having found success with her namesake fine jewelry that she launched in 2011, she was dissatisfied with the passiveness of participating in the traditional retail model, instead desiring the autonomy inherent in selling her own line in her own physical space.
“What was I going to do?” Kletjian asked, “Work on my jewelry and hoard it all in the safe, or go to trade shows and try to get people to look at me? That’s not who I am.”
When an ideal location popped up on the town’s main retail street three weeks prior to
“I didn’t have any furniture, nothing,” she said. “I woke up at 4 a.m. and went to all of the vintage flea markets down in Amish country (to source antiques). My husband built me a case for my antique jewelry. He hand-fabricated it out of steel--it was a massive effort in the middle of the summer.”
Kletjian managed to open in time for the festival. Besides stocking her own jewelry, which she’s always in the process of making, she now sources antique and vintage jewelry and trinkets, as well as luxury candles, oils and jewelry boxes. Prices at her store range from $40 for a vintage bangle to $30,000 for a custom engagement ring.
She also carries other contemporary jewelry designers such as Rachael Sarc, Emilie Shapiro, The Eden Collective, Judi Powers, Estyn Hulbert and Anne Sportun. “I only choose designers who I feel complement my own aesthetic and (people) who I know have incredible work and work ethic,” Kletjian said.
She describes her gallery as “very comfortable, with layers of different eras, textures, flowers and plants—it’s like a home. It’s upscale but very cozy.”
But her favorite thing about the store is that it’s all hers.
“If there’s anything I don’t like that’s in here, it goes,” she explained. “I don’t have to have any designer in here I don’t want, or sell any item I don’t want. Every single thing in here I truly love. That’s pretty freeing.”
So far, having a physical selling point has bolstered Kletjian’s brand. The designer has been surprised by the number of her social media followers who are seeking out her new store, and she’s relishing in the personal connections she’s making.
“People who I didn’t even know were following me are coming in. And the thing that they always say is, ‘Now you’re like a real person,’” she said. “I was always a real person. I had had success even before I opened (the gallery) but it didn’t matter, nobody cared. Now they can come in and touch and see and feel, and that’s what matters to people.
“It gave people more trust; it’s just strange. I had to take this investment in myself. I needed a game-changer and for me this was a game-changer.”
The Latest
Looking ahead, the retailer said it sees “enormous potential” in Roberto Coin’s ability to boost its branded jewelry business.
Jewelry trade show veterans share strategies for engaging buyers, managing your time effectively, and packing the right shoes.
Despite the rising prices, consumers continue to seek out the precious metal.
This little guy’s name is Ricky and he just sold for more than $200,000 at Sotheby’s Geneva jewelry auction.
Though its website has been down for a week, Christie’s proceeded with its jewelry and watch auctions on May 13-14, bringing in nearly $80 million.
Despite the absence of “The Allnatt,” Sotheby’s Geneva jewelry auction totaled $34 million, with 90 percent of lots sold.
Tradeshow risks are real. Get tips to protect yourself before, during and after and gain safety and security awareness for your business.
Lilian Raji gives advice to designers on how to make the most of great publicity opportunities.
The mining company wants to divest its 70 percent holding in the Mothae Diamond Mine in an effort to streamline its portfolio.
Why do so many jewelers keep lines that are not selling? Peter Smith thinks the answer lies in these two behavioral principles.
The “Argyle Phoenix” sold for more than $4 million at the auction house’s second jewels sale.
The annual list recognizes young professionals making an impact in jewelry retail.
While overall sales were sluggish, the retailer said its non-bridal fine jewelry was a popular choice for Valentine’s Day.
The mining giant also wants to offload its platinum business as part of an overhaul designed to “unlock significant value.”
Christie's is selling one of the diamonds, moving forward with its Geneva jewelry auction despite the cyberattack that took down its website.
The ad aims to position platinum jewelry as ideal for everyday wear.
Retailers can customize and print the appraisal brochures from their store.
The move follows a price-drop test run in Q4 and comes with the addition of a “quality assurance card” from GIA for some loose diamonds.
The site has been down since Thursday evening, just ahead of its spring auctions.
The late former U.S. Secretary’s collection went for quadruple the sale’s pre-sale estimate.
Kimberly Adams Russell is taking over the role from her father, David Adams, marking the third generation to hold the title.
As a token of womanhood, this necklace depicts when Venus was born from the sea.
The deal gives the retailer control over the distribution of Roberto Coin jewelry in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean, and Central America.
Show your mother some love with a piece of fine jewelry.
The company’s Easton location will remain open.
Brian D. Fleming of Carla Corporation was elected to serve a one-year term in the role.