Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Stylism - Japanese Showroom

When Katie and I were approached by Jasmine via email to sell our products in her Japanese showroom a few months ago, we at first thought it was too good to be true. We replied to her email with a laundry list of questions trying to figure out if Stylism was legit. Emails turned into phone calls and after tons of research and meeting Jasmine in person this past June in NYC, it turns out, yes, Stylism is very, very legit.

Jasmine and her mother run the office in New York where they spend hours and hours searching Etsy and other online websites looking for American bridge jewelry designers to include in their showroom. Once they find the designers they like, the get live samples from them and send them to their showroom in Japan. Buyers can come view the lines in the showroom and place wholesale orders. Stylism also participates in large wholesale markets in Japan where they set up shop and buyers come from all over to look for new products. Instead of us flying to Japan, Jasmine does it for us, takes orders, tells us what we need to send them, takes a percentage of sales and sends us a check. This makes expanding internaionally much more cost effective, although, some day, we would love to visit Japan.

Jasmine is at a wholesale market in Japan even as I type this blog post. We could get a few orders, we could get no orders, we could get hundreds of orders. Either way, Scarlett Garnet Jewelry has made its way overseas to Tokyo. Wish us luck that they'll love our jewelry the way our American friends do!

Stylism is on the 7th floor of a beautiful art deco building located downtown in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan, NYC.


The lovely ladies of Stylism, Jasmine and her mother inside their quaint and well-windowed NY office.


Knowing their market, Stylism asked us to alter slightly a few of our designs to make them more appropriate for fall. We changed out bright chain into darker and added a few stones to some pieces.


Katie and I after meeting with and dropping of samples at Stylism. Yes, we are smiling very cheesily from ear to ear. Thank you, Jasmine, for obsessivly stalking Etsy for new American jewelry designers. Scarlett Garnet Jewelry is honored to be one of your featured companies.



















Friday, June 17, 2011

Trunk Show at Mezzanine Boutique



For years I have been receiving postcards from Mezzanine Boutique announcing its designer trunk shows. The boutique, newly relocated to Maplewood from the Central West End in St. Louis, carries a well curated collection of clothing, accessories and jewelry that is so much fun for looking and feeling the luxurious fabrics. I have always admired the store for its light and airy feel, as well as for the fashion forward lines inside.

In a world of digital and social media, the trunk show postcards are a delight to find in one's actual mail box. I have admired the designers featured, and the way the postcard is able to capture their essence with just one photograph and very simple writing as an invitation. I have always hoped that one day, my own business would make it to the level of that featured designer. And now it has.

Please join us for a trunk show at Mezzanine Boutique this Saturday, from 11 - 4, at the new location of 2741 Sutton Ave. Light refreshments will be served, and Scarlett Garnet will be showing selected pieces from its Spaghetti Western Sunset Line, as well as many other one-of-a-kind items.


Special thanks to:

-M/E Photography for their skill at capturing a feeling, as well as the jewelry detail, in our Spaghetti Western Sunset photoshoot

-Anna Spector, owner of Mezzanine, for inviting Scarlett Garnet to show in her store.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Road to Renegade: Packing it up

When we tell people we are driving to NYC for a show, bringing a display tent and all of our gear, they ask, "Are you renting a van?" Nope. It all fits in a Nissan Versa.
We have 1 10x10 tent, 4 tables, 2 chairs, 4 tent walls, 1 wagon wheel chandelier, 3 racks of antlers, a cow jaw, a rechargeable battery, numerous picture frame displays, a cooler, all of our jewelry making supplies, a dremel drill and enough clothes to keep SG looking good for about a week.

Excuse me, can you move your rack?

A brand's packaging can be almost as important as the product itself. We chose biodegradable "plastic" bags for our customers to carry away their new treasures! These cute and functional red bags are available at NoblePackaging.com. We also ordered adorable pillow shaped boxes made from recycled material for the jewelry itself.

Take me home!

We arrived in New York City late last night, and are excited to be attending the Etsy Craft Night at the mother ship itself- Etsy Labs in Brooklyn tonight!

A few other random pictures from the trip so far. You can get all of our updates on our Facebook Fan Page.
Ruby is our muskrat skull mascot. She loves sitting on the dashboard, getting the best view of the country.


As we walked through Philadelphia on our way to NYC, we passed by this cigar shop and spontaneously bought a few cigar boxes for jewelry displays and a cash box.


The insanity of the Magic Gardens in Philly.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Road to Renegade: Wild Wild Midwest

Our current jewelry line's theme is a Spaghetti Western Sunset. And nothing screams spaghetti western like wagon wheel saloon chandelier. Luckily, the owners of Maven, the boutique in which our studio lives in St. Louis, like to collect odd lights and lamps. My personal electrician* rewired this beauty so that it can plug into an outlet. We invested in a rechargeable battery a couple years ago to light our tent during evening outdoor shows, so we've got that part covered too. I can't wait to see this in our tent! Stop by to see her in her full glory!


The view from below. She will cast some great shadows.

Just like walking into a saloon. Chances are we'll have beer too ;)

We're in booth #112, near the north Lorimer entrance to the park. Stop by!