Creating Sales Jewelry at Gift Stores and Boutiques

By June Allan Corrigan

Enter any gift store or boutique and chances are there is a section (or several!) devoted to jewelry. It might be a small display or it could be a large one but jewelry always finds an audience. For many shoppers, it’s a mustsee category. For this article, four retailers in different parts of the country described the kinds of baubles currently captivating their customers.

Urban Princess Boutique in Philadelphia, Pa., strives for originality. “We really try to carry jewelry you’re not going to see other places,” said Store Co-Owner Mary Harvey . She admitted this is becoming increasingly difficult to accomplish since many local artists now showcase their wares on Faire.com or Etsy. It’s hard to remain exclusive when everyone has easy access. However, the Edgy Petal jewelry collection continues to sell very well in the 900-squarefoot retail space as do the creations of an artisan based in Los Angeles. “One of the reasons their pieces sell so well is they’re just so unique. The jewelry is dainty but edgy at the same time.”

Edgy is an aesthetic that Urban Princess Boutique knows well. Even the shop’s name gives a nod to its location in the city center. “Anything a little more artsy, a little different, anything that doesn’t scream out Amazon – that’s us,” Harvey said. She knows immediately when someone is a first-time visitor just by virtue of their reaction. “The oohs and aahs and the oh my God, I’ve never seen anything like this – it’s super fun to watch because that’s the kind of collection we try to have.”

“Creative clutter is kind of how I typically do displays. …Some stuff might even be broken, like I’ll use half of a candlestick holder. But somehow, I’ll make that all come together with a whole bunch of jewelry on it so it’s kind of seamless and beautiful.” express her individuality. Though the store caters to this demographic, Harvey also keeps someone else in mind. “Honestly, I target men because they don’t know where to go and buy something creative for their wives.” Large numbers of men shop there although Harvey can’t convince them to tell their wives about the store. “They tell me once their wives know, they’ll just get everything they want themselves and as it is, they just love the gifts they receive.” She’s toying with the idea of putting together a PR campaign along the lines of “his dirty little secret!”

– Rachel Bayerle, Charm, Birmingham, Ala., who also incorporates vintage found plates, cake platters, bowls and crystal and uses them as props to showcase jewelry.

The typical Urban Princess Boutique shopper is age 40plus and keen to

Little surprise that Urban Princess Boutique’s jewelry displays tend to be different. Harvey thinks of them as little pockets tucked around the store which she compares to a treasure chest. She never gets just one piece of jewelry from an artist either – it’s always a collection. Then a group of a certain style or a color will reside in one of the aforementioned pockets. For example, shoppers might come across a cache of crystal jewelry displayed altogether. Yet another pocket will feature a variety of long jewelry. “We have a wire tree that has a lot of the daintier necklaces hanging from it,” explains Harvey. “Then we have a fire screen just like the kind that would go in front of a fireplace and it showcases a ton of earrings.” Eclectic display apparatuses rule in this Philadelphia boutique. “If a jewelry collection happens to come with its own case or stand, we almost never use it,” she concluded.

Krista Souther opened her namesake store Krista Anne’s Boutique in Black Mountain, N.C., in 2007 and in 2018, she opened a second location in Oklahoma City, Okla. When asked what her best-selling jewelry lines are, Souther said it depends on the locale. Mariana Jewelry tops sales at the 2,000-square-foot Oklahoma City location. “Shoppers are drawn to the quality and the color,” she explained. “All of her pieces are handmade in Israel plus they have a lifetime guarantee. People appreciate that.” The designer incorporates genuine Swarovski Crystals and semiprecious in her designs. “The colors are just gorgeous. Lots of sparkle, just really bright. Mariana Jewelry makes people smile.”

Both Krista Anne’s Boutique locations cater to the same demographic – namely, women ages 35 and up. However, the 2,000-square-foot North Carolina store resides in a tourist destination and the jewelry that is offered there features a slightly lower price point. The globally inspired Tagua jewelry brand sells very well. “It’s fair trade, sustainable and handmade out of Tagua Nuts in Ecuador. Women appreciate that it’s very lightweight, all handdyed and again, features lots of color,” Souther explained.

Display-wise, the Mariana Jewelry line benefits from strategic lighting. “We use special shelving so the light can filter through and accentuate the stones. We’ll also showcase it on an outfit here and there around the store to show shoppers how to wear it and how to style it,” said Souther. The latter method is mainly how the Tagua line at the Krista Anne’s Boutique in North Carolina is displayed. “We have a small rack containing some of the pieces but most of the Tagua line is all around the store on different clothing pieces.”

Charm definitively exudes from Charm, a delightful and eclectic shop in Birmingham, Ala. Of all their eclec - tic jewelry offerings – which run the gamut from locally made pieces to new as well as vintage – earrings are the top-selling category, according to Rachel Bayerle , who co-owns the store with Nicole Putman. Seventy percent of the 1,800-square foot retail space is devoted to jewelry which certainly ups the odds of shoppers finding a bauble or bangle they like. “Our highest age group is aged 30 to 50 plus we’re not far from the college and an art high school.”

As one of the only retail spaces in downtown Birmingham, Charm caters to people who primarily head to the area because of the proliferation of restaurants and bars. A party might be waiting for a table at an establishment and wander in with time on their hands to find a perfect little gift for someone or just something for themselves. “Creative clutter is kind of how I typically do displays,” explained Bayerle with a laugh. She incorporates vintage found plates, cake platters, bowls and crystal and uses them as props to showcase jewelry. “Some stuff might even be broken, like I’ll use half of a candlestick holder. But somehow, I’ll make that all come together with a whole bunch of jewelry on it so it’s kind of seamless and beautiful.”

Necklaces always top jewelry sales at Urban Girl, a boutique in Del Mar, Calif., although Store Manager Suzanne Somerville is not entirely certain why. Most likely it is due to the touristy vibe that pervades the area since Del Mar is primarily a beach town. “We sell a lot of name necklaces and little charm necklaces,” Somerville said. In fact, 70 percent of Urban Girl’s customers are indeed visiting the community. They stop in to browse women’s apparel, accessories, home goods and of course, jewelry, at the decently sized store. Customers find jewelry strategically located near the front counter which serves as the perfect browsing point. ❖