STUNNING STUDS

Studs is a New York-based piercing studio and store with a current total of 13 locations across seven states, as well as an extensive online storefront. In 2019, Anna Harman and Lisa Bubbers created Studs to help customers design their perfect Earscape® — a customized and curated collection of piercings and earrings through which one can express themself. Studs also offers “ear-ducation” resources & content including advice on how to style earrings, news about current trends, and the process of getting and caring for a piercing. They have a formidable online presence, the growth of which was spurred in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic, but their brick-and-mortar stores offer customers a piercing experience like no other. Studs pierces with single-use needles, akin to a tattoo parlor rather than a mall store’s piercing gun. Their storefronts, however, are nothing like either, full of bright colors with illuminated signs and neon acrylic decor. By functioning as both a piercing studio and store, Studs bridges the gap between earring retail and the piercing itself, with the added convenience of customers being able to choose from a wide selection of earrings as soon as they get a new piercing.

Studs shared information about the brand’s history, vision, co-founders, and their love of “(ear)ristible puns.” The idea that would become Studs began when Harman, accompanied by Bubbers, had her second ear piercing performed at a tattoo shop.

“. . .The two saw that there was a hole in the piercing and retail market (pun intended),” said Studs.

Lisa Bubbers, who serves as Studs’ Chief Brand Officer, earned her degree at the University of Pennsylvania. After working in business development, she too joined a startup, where she would focus on marketing for five years. She subsequently returned to consumer brands to become a consultant for marketing strategies, brand creation and transformation, and business growth. Anna Harman, now Chief Executive Officer, attended Princeton University as an undergraduate student, followed by Boston University Law School. She practiced as an attorney but later went on to serve in key roles for styling and retail-based startup businesses. Prior to Studs, Harman would gain a decade’s worth of involvement in operations, retail, finance, and consumer companies.

With prior experience and insight into business management and the future of retail, as well as a friendship lasting over a decade, Harman and Bubbers took the gap in the piercing market as an opportunity for change. Studs truly brings together the best of both worlds, but it also introduces an original take on the industry, starting with atmosphere. The brand’s idea of the modern piercing experience is clearly reflected in its locations, which, while unique, share an instantly recognizable style. Studs studios feature bright white walls, floors, and counters. Colorful accents, light-up signs, and eye-catching earring displays add vibrancy to the canvas on which customers’ experiences are created. The design of the stores makes it obvious that piercings and earrings are at the core of the company and has the additional power to draw in potential customers and greet them with a warm, welcoming environment.

Growing remarkably fast for a new business, Studs first arrived in Boston in May 2021 as a pop-up store in the Seaport District. The location at 100 Seaport Blvd. remained open until mid-January of 2022. They made a quick comeback to the Boston area and opened a Newbury St. studio before the month was over, followed by an additional Chestnut Hill location in March. Studs will celebrate its third birthday with locations coast to coast, thanks in large part to the efforts of its co-founders.

It’s clear Bubbers and Harmon have a combined resume fit for running a successful business, but just what is the hole in the piercing market that Studs has fit so perfectly into?

“The company offers a modern solution to the previously outdated ear-piercing industry and the cumbersome process surrounding it. For years, there’s been a gap in the market comprised of antiquated mall brands, tattoo parlors, and high-end boutiques that are either unsafe, intimidating, or overpriced,” said Studs.

A walk through a local shopping mall will probably yield one or two jewelry stores that offer in-store piercing services. While such businesses, often part of a chain, are accessible in terms of location and price, they are also notorious for their use of piercing guns. Typically, these devices have no sharp parts — instead, the spring-loaded gun forces the blunt post of the earring through the ear. The high force used can bruise and unevenly tear tissue, leading to a longer and more difficult healing process — or, outside of the earlobe, it risks shattering the cartilage of the ear.

While piercing guns may have single-use parts that are disposed of, many of their components are both reused and impossible to sterilize. It can also be difficult to guarantee that the piercers at such stores have the training required to perform their jobs safely. The convenience of a chain store piercing often comes at the cost of accuracy, which is an especially significant problem with a long-lasting form of body modification such as an ear piercing. So where else is there to go?

Tattoo shops, in addition to their titular form of body art, may additionally offer ear and body piercings. Their piercing process is more likely to utilize piercing needles, which are hollow, specialized, and sharpened so that less force is necessary. Instead of relying on blunt force, piercing needles allow for a more controlled process, resulting in a more accurate piercing. Traditionally, ear piercings aren’t the parlors’ primary focus, therefore, limiting the inventory of the jewelry itself. After getting a new earlobe piercing, the earrings must stay in for about six weeks so the tissue can heal around them. It is highly important for the earrings to be both highquality in material and in line with the customer’s preferences, which a tattoo shop’s selection may not be able to achieve simultaneously. Studs’ inventory offers sets of earrings for those interested in changing their look all at once, as well as a constantly growing variety of studs, hoops, chains, cuffs, and all sorts of shapes for all sorts of piercings. They also provide a sizeable selection of flat-back earrings, which are low-profile, easy to clean, and less prone to poking or catching on outside obstruction. Studs also offers a variety of metals, from earrings made of 14k gold or implant-grade titanium, and fashion earrings for fully healed holes, thus providing options for those of all skin sensitivities.

The Studs technique is highly personalized, sharply contrasting the traditional piercing process. Professional consultants work with customers to map out what piercings suit them — everything from a simple, solo stud to a constellation of earrings. The brand recognizes that piercings have incredible potential as a live art form and encourages its clients to explore just what they want to say with theirs. Studs is a fantastic option for any customer, whether health-conscious, trendconscious or simply looking to try a new twist on self-expression.

@studs; studs.com

Anya Misage