Excerpted from “From Bench to Build-Out,” the lead feature in the upcoming March 2026 edition of INSTORE.
Bravo Jewellers, Carlsbad, CA
A DECADE AGO, WHEN BROTHERS Edward and Eugene Notovich were ready to open Bravo Jewellers, their retail store in Carlsbad, CA, they found a 1,200 square-foot space in a perfect high-end location. During the six months it took to negotiate a lease, the brothers absorbed store design inspiration from Pinterest and from restaurants and stores they visited in person or online. They wanted something modern but not too far-out, a place with a wow factor to create a singular experience for their customers.
When they took possession, it was a newly built blank box with a cement floor and four unfinished walls. They designed every detail, from the layout and the shape of the ceiling to the outdoor sign and the wallpaper. Eugene, a CAD designer, modeled the entire build-out in CAD, and they refined the layout repeatedly until it matched their workflow needs and space limitations.
They designed their showcases down to the millimeter and had them custom manufactured to specifications that covered measurements, drawer count, what each case would display, the wood grain look, the frameless glass style and the type and placement of the lighting.
“For about six months, we were working essentially every day from morning until around 11 p.m.”
As they began hiring people to do some of the work, Notovich began to think that he could do it better himself. So, he and his brother, a cousin and a couple of friends built out most of the store, hiring the appropriate professionals for anything that required licensing and code compliance.
“For about six months, we were working essentially every day from morning until around 11 p.m. Doing the work ourselves wasn’t just a ‘hands-on’ idea — it was truly physical, long-hour labor: painting, coordinating and directing licensed trades, putting up drywall, assembling and installing key elements, and setting up all equipment.”
One challenge was to build a showroom and manufacturing environment in a tight space where everything is done in house: casting, setting, repairs, custom design, etc.
They had to accommodate benches, casting/investing equipment, 3D printers, offices, and even a small kitchen with careful attention to workflow, sound control and what would be visible to customers. They also created an area dedicated to custom design, where clients could sit comfortably and talk through designs without the noise and traffic from the repair counter or main showroom.
Family and friends worked nonstop for six months to open Bravo Jewellers.
They had hoped to open before Christmas, but the build-out ran about two months longer than expected, and they opened in February 2016. “It was really a struggle,” Notovich says. “We even moved the safe ourselves. I injured my foot. But even with an injured foot, we were doing the work because we had to get opened; otherwise, we wouldn’t have made it.”
In the past 10 years, they’ve continued to upgrade the workshop with new equipment, printers, upgraded benches and top tier tools to accommodate the level of work produced by their production team of jewelers, CAD designers and an engraver.
BRAVO JEWELLERS PHOTO GALLERY (4 IMAGES)
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