Curating a Lifestyle

Young alumna Gresham Meek designs her success

By Annie Rhoades

Many young girls spend hours making friendship bracelets, but few can say they turned their craft into a business. For alumna Gresham Meek (BA 12), CEO and chief creative officer of Gresham Jewelry, this childhood pastime turned into a career that began with her first trunk show in elementary school.

“I made friendship bracelets like every other little girl — I just never quit,” laughs Meek. “I used to go to these little bead-stringing classes to learn different techniques. I had my first trunk show in the sixth grade at my mom’s friend’s house. I made 40 necklaces, and I sold out.”

Meek continued hosting shows and selling her handmade jewelry throughout high school and well into college, learning new techniques and perfecting her craft along the way.

“While I was at Ole Miss, I would take classes to learn more complicated techniques,” Meek recalls. “My senior year I set up at Double Decker, and I may have been the only student that did Double Decker as an artist. The show was a sellout. It was amazing, and it gave me that confidence to say, OK, when I graduate, maybe I can pay the bills doing this.”

Longtime friend and mentor Doug Self (BAccy 85), who owned Provision Oxford at the time of the company’s launch, was thrilled to feature Meek’s unique designs in his store.

“I loved what she showed me, her attention to detail, thoughtful approach to her brand and immediately offered her a place in the store,” Self says. “I saw in Gresham someone with incredible creativity and a keen business sense, along with a passion for her brand and the grit to achieve whatever she set out to accomplish. I think her future is filled with even more and larger opportunities, and I have full confidence that she will achieve whatever she sets out to do.”

Meek quickly found herself not only paying the bills but developing her craft into a lifestyle brand. After graduating with a liberal arts degree in 2012, Meek officially launched the company.

Cheering on the Rebels | Photo courtesy of Gresham Meek

Studying Abroad

“I come from a family of Ole Miss graduates, so I always knew I wanted to go there,” she says. “I knew I wanted to do something in the art world, but Ole Miss doesn’t have a textile or smaller art program. Fortunately, the liberal arts program allowed me to study in a few areas that helped me with my jewelry career.”

The Dallas native and Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College alumna counts her time studying abroad in Florence, Italy, as a life-changing experience that continues to define her career.

“That was one of the highlights of my time at Ole Miss,” Meek says. “I took three different classes and was there for six weeks studying. The art history class was probably my favorite class I have ever taken because it directly inspired my thesis for the Honors College. It was about Renaissance Italian jewelry and is about to inspire a whole new collection that we are launching later this year. I got all my books out from that class a couple of months ago to start the focus for this new collection of jewelry.”

A member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity and an Ole Miss varsity cheerleader, Meek counts the lifelong friendships she built with her sorority sisters and cheering on Ole Miss football in the Cotton Bowl as her fondest memories.

“Being back in my hometown to cheer in the Cotton Bowl was amazing,” she says. “Ole Miss did a fabulous job preparing me for what I do now. I’m so appreciative of the liberal arts program that allowed me to create a major that wasn’t necessarily a jewelry designer major, but a major that laid the foundation for the purpose of my jewelry.”

What began as a jewelry line composed of different styles of

La Tua Storia Letter bracelets | Photo by Hannah Gibson, @hannahvistaphoto

Florence bracelets | Photo courtesy of Gresham Meek

one-of-a-kind, handmade necklaces, bracelets and earrings, soon turned into a lifestyle brand for women of all ages. In addition to jewelry, the company now boasts art, décor, clothing and more.

Booming Business

“We expanded into a lifestyle brand for the modern woman,” Meek says. “Our focus is on creating and generating products that are curated, effortless and lively and can be worn by women of all ages with an on-the-go lifestyle. You don’t have to get super dolled up or be going to a major event to wear our products.”

During the pandemic, many businesses found their sales slow and, in some cases, halt. But for Meek, the business quickly skyrocketed.

“When I started, I handmade every single piece for several years,” she says. “As the business continued to grow and the demand got higher, I added team members and worked with other jewelry makers in Dallas. Throughout the pandemic we had to pivot. Even though we lost that in-person communication with people, we had a super-high rise in demand for our products.

“We started working with social media advertisements, and it really took our brand off the ground. Suddenly we had such a great demand that I turned to working with other partners worldwide to help me create mass production for the pieces that I’m designing.”

Meek quickly learned that success brings its fair share of challenges, and a level of decision making well beyond deciding what her new designs will entail.

“I think the hardest part is the determination to keep going once you realize that what you love about what you’re doing is only a fraction of what you’re going to actually do each day,” she says. “There are so many more moving pieces in building a business that are unexpected.

“My passion is to design jewelry, but I don’t get to do that every day because running a business won’t thrive on just me designing jewelry. It’s important to find the right people to help you along the way to do the things that you can’t do. No one can do it alone – it takes a village.”

When the company was in its infancy, before the boom of social media driving commerce, it relied mainly on boutique sales. While the Gresham line is still sold in over 250 retail stores, the company has transitioned over the past decade to focus on e-commerce with most of its sales being generated from its online store.

“It’s been overwhelming to see the company grow, but super exciting,” Meek says. “The hardest part is knowing when to grow and when to hire new people. We have always had a steady growth, and you want to keep that momentum going. I never imagined the company would be where it is today. It’s been an incredible blessing from above.”

Close friend Jennifer Shipp (BAEd 00), who first met Meek when she served as rush adviser, is proud of all she has accomplished and thinks “the sky is the limit” for Meek.

“God gifted Gresham with an incredible artistic eye,” Shipp says. “What sets her apart is her attention to detail. She not only wants the product to look great and the buyer to feel great, but she wants the quality of the product to be incredible. When you receive your purchase from Gresham, you will immediately love the packaging and it only gets better from there. She has an amazing pulse on what people like, as well as adding her own personal flair to make it extra special.”

Meek and her husband, Stephen, with son, Hodges, and daughter, Kaki | Photo by Hannah Gibson, @hannahvistaphoto

40 Under 40

Due in part to the success of her business, Meek was recently named a member of the Ole Miss Alumni Association’s inaugural 40 Under 40 class, recognizing the personal, professional and philanthropic achievements of successful University of Mississippi graduates under the age of 40.

“I couldn’t believe that I even got a nomination,” Meek says. “I was stunned and just so honored. I can think of so many in my class and the classes above me that are doing incredible things, so to be included is an incredible honor.”

The wife and mother of two plans to continue developing her business that includes a new collection inspired by her studies at Ole Miss and her love of the Italian Renaissance.

“I want to expand our reach online and in stores, as well as add to our team here in Dallas,” she says. “Lord willing, I want to continue growing our family and find that work/life balance. I think it’s important for anyone starting their own business to not be afraid to ask for help and to not be afraid to fail. There will always be ups and downs, but if you love it and you’re passionate about it, you’ll succeed in the end.”

Visit jewelrybygresham.com to view Meek’s entire collection.