New Storefront for Scarlett Garnet in St. Louis - Cherokee Street!

With Scarlett Garnet Jewelry being based in two cities, we have had our share of odd homes.  In St. Louis, I have had the SG Studio in the front sunroom of my apartment, to a few months in The Luminary, a brief stint in my mom's basement, over a year in a boutique, Maven's, basement, and now into the sunshine of Cherokee Street!
I had looked at Cherokee Street in 2008 when I was moving out of my Shaw apartment, and the timing was just not quite right. In early 2012, I had the pleasure of meeting Jason Deem, who has renovated and preserved several buildings on Cherokee, and the timing was perfect!  Art Monster, a tattoo and airbrush shop that is now our neighbor, was consolidating their storefront spaces, so one was just becoming available.  Below is the progression of the space into Scarlett Garnet's new St. Louis home at 2619 Cherokee Street, Saint Louis, MO 63118, and the collection of pieces that bring the store to life.

"Before" Shot #1 - Art Monster's airbrush studio and storefront.  They also have a tattoo shop next door.

But before I moved in...what do you do with a wide open space and wooden floors- throw a dance party!  As soon as I got the keys, I opened the space up for my roommate's birthday party!

Working from the teal already on the walls, I painted on the stripes that would later be the stick part of an arrow. Playing it by ear,  my quad muscles were feeling it after insane numbers of trips up and down the ladder, and in and out of the storefront windows.

I cut stencils for the small bow and arrow finales from file folders.  I let inspiration take hold with the bright orange and eggplant colors, but also dove in to some Home Depot "Oops" paint in Mint, discounted to $7 for a gallon.  Scarlett Garnet can't pass up a deal. 

I have always wanted to attempt the tape stencil/negative space and I  had fun exploring the options.  Before....

And after!

The beauty of having show windows? Enjoying your lunch in the sun! Taking a quick break

On the hunt for unique display items and furniture, I came across this thrift store GOLD mine!  I happened to snag this olive green vintage couch the day it came in.  Man on couch wanted to chat about what I would make him for dinner, but I just wanted the couch!

Garnet came in from Kansas City for the opening, and to help decorate the new space.  She carefully draped the emerald and aquamarine colored strings of beads from the window and back into the store.  She really loved me singing, "How much is that Garnet in the window?" 

She brought an awesome chandelier in from KC, rescued from a building being renovated.  Chandelier crystals paired with beads create a dramatic effect in the store.  I could not have done it without her!  

Forever friend of SG, Wes Vega, helped us hang our sign, chandelier and curtains.  We love a man that knows how to use his power tools and find studs!

An "after" view from the inside- arrow walls, chandelier with crystals,  vintage mirrors and bright orange windows!

The back of the studio has a collage of locally printed event posters.  Cherokee street boasts quite a few prolific print-makers!  A painting by Lindsey Scott adorns the adjacent wall.

I created this display for the front windows from random flea market finds.  I drew and painted over old photos to match the macabre skulls and found a good use for one of our many broken mirrors.  We plan to change out the front windows often, or have them available for artists to concoct an installation monthly

Every First Friday, we will showcase a new local artist.  May artist, Jay Babcock, does some chalk drawings with his son.

We sell other products in addition to our jewelry.  We have candles and soap from our former home, Maven, where we also sell our jewelry.  

Stephanie Silvis of Ruby Francis stops by to snap some pics of her redone vintage clothing for her own Etsy Store.  Etsy.com/shop/rubyfrancis

She uses vintage fabrics, old curtains or bed linens to create her adorable clothing.  Ruby Francis also has adorable hair clips, complete with no-slip grip backing.

We also carry some prints, cards, and original artwork by the local tattoo artist Lauren Busiere.

A vintage shelf, another thrift store find, holds jewelry in the middle of the retail space.  The curtains separate the storefront from the workshop/studio/office space in the back.

The finished product!  Purple makes the logo stand out, and our sandwich board, made from recycled materials, announces to the walk-by traffic that we are open. 

Our hours may vary as we figure out what works best on the street, so please check our website for the most up to date information before heading down.  We are often working outside of listed hours as well. 

As of June 2012, we are open:

Wednesday: 12-5

Thursday:12-4

Friday: 11-5

Saturday: 11-5

Sunday:11-3

Thanks for reading!  Stop by soon!

2619 Cherokee Street, One block west of Jefferson

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POOL Trade Show, Las Vegas, August 2011

Scarlett Garnet Jewelry busted into the wholesale rhealm with our first ever showing at POOL Trade Show in Las Vegas, NV this August 22 -24. We did our best to have enough in stock for the Cash and Carry booth and also took wholesale orders. Katie came in from St. Louis to Kansas City several days before the show to help with production. In a matter of days, we turned our KC studio upside down getting ready for the show. We have to say thank you to Maria, Esther, Megan, Gabrielle, and Lorena for helping us get our stuff did. Thank you ladies!


Agh!!!! Such an organized mess...

Finished products were hung on our display fixtures lining the wall of the studio to help stay organized.

All our efforts were immediately rewarded the moment we stepped foot inside the convention center at Mandalay Bay. This show is HUGE! And awesome, and a perfect fit for our blossoming company. We didn't know what to expect but we were sure it would be something good at the very least. It was actually something very awesome, indeed. We kinda totally heart POOL. A lot.

We launched our never before seen "Egypt Noir" line while in Vegas. Why not? It's pretty perfect for this city and show. It was well recieved to say the least.

We introduced a neon line of Jewelry for August's First Friday in the KC Crossroads Art District, where our Kansas City studio is located. We brought a few samples with us and also wore neon jewelry during the show. Needless to say, it was a hit! After selling pieces off our neck and ears 3 times in a row on our second day of the show, we decided that we should include it as a product to be ordered. Thus, the neon line has been officially born. Shapes from our past 3 lines, "Nautical Nouceau", "Spaghetti Western Sunset" and "Egypt Noir" are cast in neon acrylic priced way inside your budget. People asked if the jewelry glowed in the dark to which we replied, "it glows in the light."

As first time exhibitors, we were treated very well. We felt right at home, starting from the email correspondence months out to secure our booth up to the closing day of the show, we felt that we were under POOL's gracious wing. We picked up a copy of the POOL Trade Show directory which was distributed to all vendors and buyers throughout the 3 day show.

To our most pleasant and humble surprise, POOL featured us twice in this directory. We sold out of the Multi Metal Chevron Earrings :)

Day 1 & 2 of POOL, the vendors were treated to free happy hour. Thank you!
The real party, however, took place after the first night of the show, Monday evening on the rooftop of Mandalay Bay, Foundation, nose bleed floor. Vendors, show organizers, buyers, photographers all united and had a fantastic time. Open bar for 4 hours = very hung over vendors for day 2, but we'll all sleep when we're dead, right?

Yup, this is the view from Foundation Club atop Mandalay Bay.
We made new friends and fans during the show, including vendors and show organizers. Kristen, the head honcho organizer extraordinaire of Project POOL's immediate neighbor, loved our "Steel Steer Necklace" so much that her team of assistants bought it for her as a gift. She wore it around proudly and we were ever so happy to see her wandering around the show wearing our necklace.

Check out our new friend from "Costella" Bags sportin some chevron action!

And, finally, the Las Vegas sights...And, some well earned chilaxing time at the pool....

Scarlett Garnet Jewelry is so proud to have been a part of this August 2011 POOL Trade Show. We had such a successful trip and cannot wait to come back. Thank you to POOL Trade Show and to all our fans and friends who are there for us. We appreciate your support!

Scarlett Garnet hearts you all!

XOXO,

Garnet and Katie

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.

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.

The Crafty Supermarket in Cinci and Fabricate Boutique

Scarlett Garnet had the honor of participating in the Crafty Supermarket in Cincinnati, OH again this spring. Held in the Clifton Arts Center, an old school, the carefully curated show is a hot spot for shoppers! They lined up outside the show for at least an hour before the start to grab the awesome goody bags, and came in droves all day long. I was very impressed with the vendors at the show, especially booth neighbors Magpie and Molly's hand sawed creations, and Busty's Fun Bags.

The Supermarket was Auntie's turn to carry her adorable niece! While Mom helped her try on the Mercury's Wing Necklace, the mirror provided much entertainment for all. Cinci shoppers know the art of the baby backpacks, too crowded for strollers!

The organizers of the show also run the boutique Fabricate in the NorthSide of Cinci. You can purchase Scarlett Garnet at the shop, as well as handmade goods from many other local artists. I picked up barrettes from one of my favorite accessory designers, Felix and Jane.

SG at FabNorthSide

Fabricate displays art on one wall of the store and holds monthly art openings

Felix and Jane, whom we met at St. Louis Fashion Week years ago, makes lovely little barrettes with bright colors and contrast stitching. I love the random shapes and florescent hues. They lady behind you in line at the post office will enjoy looking at something new too.

My mom and I made it a Mother's Day weekend trip and drove together from St. Louis to Cincinnati. We survived many hours in one car, and had a lovely dinner with my friend from college, Katie England-Simms, in a blossoming area on the skirts of downtown Cinci. We checked out some shops in Indianapolis on the way home, including the super fresh Homespun.

By no means am I a church searching tourist, but Mother's Day mass brought us to the St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in downtown Cinci. After inhaling large amounts of incense for over an hour, I found the architecture and art very inspiring.

The colorful stained glass windows- so calming and peaceful

The Greek style paintings and mosiacs glowing with gold leaf and detail

Artists and crafters- this is a great show in which to participate. I had the shock and pleasure of pulling up to load-in and being greeted by not 1, not 2, but 4 volunteers to help me bring in my displays! Booth sitters made constant rounds to offer help, and the venue had tasty, healthy food by local restaurants. I highly recommend applying to this show, but no jewelry vendors, we don't want to lose our spot ;)

Thanks for reading,
Katie

Shop online at ScarlettGarnet.com, or on Etsy

New Boutiques for Scarlett Garnet- Squasht Gold Dragonflys!

Scarlett Garnet has added several new boutiques to their roster in the last few months! We are always SOO excited to meet new owners and buyers, have our work spreading across the state, and all over the nation! We snap pics when we drop off inventory and trade links with stores whenever we can. These pockets of retail fashion bliss are our heroes- they are wonderful models of entrepreneurial success, and the owners are often strong women our age or within just a few years! We need them to sell our pieces and promote our brand, they need us to create unique and high quality jewelry that will keep their customers satisfied and coming back for more. Quite a balance!

In memory card order:

DragonFly Designs in Eureka, MO
Not only does she carry many local designers, she also creates custom stationary, invitations, and any other correspondence that needs a personalized kick! Just a couple of turns off highway 44, west of St. Louis, and you'll reach this adorable destination spot.

Solid Gold in Austin, TX
Scarlett Garnet and Solid Gold share the SG name with pride!

We loved the floating racks at Solid Gold. It gives a light feeling to the small boutique in East Austin.

Squasht by Les in Chicago, IL
SG's friend, Leslie Timpe, has migrated from STL to CHI and opened a new boutique to showcase her wares. Her networking in the design world allows her to carry so many great looks!

We are always looking for new boutiques to carry Scarlett Garnet. Let us know if you frequent a store in your city!