Small Cool Honorable Mentions
Bravo Jewellers
CARLSBAD, CA
Owners and brothers Edward and Eugene Notovich designed their full-service jewelry store themselves. They started with a cement floor and four unfinished walls and planned out every detail of the store, from the layout of the rooms and the shape of the ceiling to the outdoor sign and the wallpaper. They also designed their showcases down to the millimeter and had them custom-made.
Hamilton Butler Jewels
Hermosa Beach, CA
Owners Joni Hamilton and Shelia Butler consider their store, just steps from Hermosa Beach Pier, to be a hang-out spot. They love it when people stop by just to sit and visit with a glass of wine or indulge in the bloody mary bar on Sundays. They also enjoy working with clients to help them cultivate their own jewelry collections. They design about 75 percent of their inventory, with price points that range from $200 to $500,000.
Branham’s Jewelry
East Tawas, MI
Second-generation jewelers Ken Branham and Joyce Hill caught the entrepreneurial bug at an early age and followed in their parents’ footsteps. In the family’s new store, they created a “Treasured Memories” room in which a bridal party can prepare for a wedding in any of the resort community’s outdoor wedding venues.
Alchemy 925
Belmont, MA
Alchemy 925 is a contemporary jewelry and fine craft gallery near Boston that represents 50 artists. Repurposing old gemstones, remodeling heirlooms, designing and creating custom jewelry all make up a large part of the business, which is owned by Munya Avigail Upin and Kirsten Ball. If coolness is judged by the number of hugs received from strangers and new customers, the store is successful beyond measure, they agree.
Robert Hallett-Goldsmith
Oakmont, PA
Rob Hallett and his wife and business partner, Kyle Kotchey, own a true mom-and-pop design studio and retail store in a picturesque courtyard setting. Having a two-person business has meant that both have had to be resourceful — willing to learn new skills and do almost anything they need at a professional level.
Big Cool Honorable Mentions
John Atencio
Boulder, CO
John Atencio’s new store was conceived to create a unique, open studio experience suited to Boulder. The designer’s signature jewelry is showcased with lights hidden from view by a drop-grid made of Colorado hardwood. The walls display oversized giclee prints of John’s original paintings. Showcases are designed to be movable so the space can easily be transformed for social events and special occasions.
Pyrrha
Los Angeles, CA
Pyrrha designers Wade and Danielle Papin discovered a box of badly damaged wax seals in 2004 at an estate sale, which inspired Pyrrha’s line of talisman jewelry. In 2010, Pyrrha opened its flagship store.
Kesslers Diamond Center
Grand Rapids, MI
In 2011, Kesslers became the only employee-owned retail jewelry company in North America. Its Grand Rapids store, which opened in 2015, represents a new market for the Wisconsin-based company with seven locations.
The Richter & Phillips Co.
Cincinnati, OH
A downtown Cincinnati anchor for generations, Richter & Phillips moved into its third downtown location in 2016. Owned by Fred, Rick, Art and Eric Fehr, the store has three generations on hand almost every day.
Koerber’s Fine Jewelry
New Albany, IN
To create a welcoming atmosphere in their new store, Felecia Koerber and her daughter, Jacquelyn, built a stone fireplace area with plush chairs where visitors can sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee or freshly-baked cookies from the coffee bar.