Our shops
Whoever goes into one our shops, might wonder to themselves if it is a store or a stall?!
Ever since 2004, David and I are selling our jewelries on sale stalls at weekend fairs around the world. We set our first stand in Australia. There, we presented colorful gemstones that we took with us from India and conveyed them on a stall covered with an exquisite salvia colored serviette, instead of a black one, so it would be even more special. We added some ornaments that characterized us, which were used as a lovely setting to our favorite jewelries. Besides gemstones, we spread some additional fabrics, beach sand and oysters, which all portrayed one thing-- nature! We are both very connected to nature, its fierce colors and its rawness. Since then and until today the live nature is felt in our stores.
We loved the stalls, because it was very informal and local. We loved the customers who were searching for the freshness of small, intimate artistic stalls. An outside stall gives you the feeling of freedom and of many possibilities. I built my very first stall when I was 10 years old, together with my neighbor. We used to create flower buds made of fabric, and sell them in an art fair that took place once a week in Ra'anana. I enjoyed it so much, I liked selling my pieces and watching people liking them back, buying and enjoying them. Throughout the years, I always found myself working in frontal sales; I always connected to people and liked the intimate bonds that were made. For me, the stand is a natural extension of this.
On our gypsy years, we visited many exotic places such as Australia, New Zealand, England, Thailand, India and Panama. From each place, we took a lesson that we carry with us until today and that is conveyed in our stores.
In India, we learned about gemstones and that everything is possible; each combination goes together and the most important thing is to free our imagination, which empowers us to climb new mountains. In England, we learned how to build the most efficient and appropriate stall, where we stand on one side of it, the customers on another, and each one of us have their own space.
In Panama, we learned an important rule about the right way to display our items. Our teacher was Mr. Phillipe, an owner of zones for sale in Panama, who used to fence and array them in a very impressive way, and label it as "Panama in a bottle". One day David and I came over to him and said "Moi bonito!", meaning "very pretty", and without hesitation he answered: Bonnito?! Ahhh… es differennte!", meaning "Pretty? Ah.... It's different!". That is when we realized how we want to portray our art to the world- as something different.
After years of nomadism, we got back to Israel and opened our first stall here. We began in Azrieli Center and from there we moved to the artists' fair in Dizingoff St., where our stand stood in Dizingoff 99 for a few good years.
The stall was built with the leading concept – being different. We chose tree trunk brown to cover our table, which we think is the color that best compliments gold, instead of plain black or white. We designed and created unusual stands, with frizzly vintage cuts that matched the lace-made jewelries we designed. Our stall was prominent and attracted a lot of special attention, so after a while we started seeing how more stands around us switch their display color to brown as well.
After a few years, David felt that we are ready for the next step- a jewelry store. I was scared from this move, as I did not want to be in a closed box, where life is happening outside of it and I am inside of it. We delayed and delayed the subject until we had no more choice, as the manager of the fair told us that as of 2012 the fair will only be open on Tuesdays and Fridays. At this point, with two girls to raise, two days of work a week did not suffice, and we turned to our next challenge- opening a jewelry store. I was still afraid from this change, so we tried to think how to we make our store different. This is how the idea of a stall-store was born, which is the dominant design line in all our shops.
A stall-store is a concept we created that its main idea was to cancel the entrance/exit door, which would allow the same kind of flow as we were used to in the street. This way, all the people who are walking in the street are also partially inside the store, even if they didn’t step inside it. We opened our first store in 8 Shenkin St., a small jewelry store that we renovated by our own four hands. The first thing we did was to remove the entrance wall and to build the stand so it will be in zero line with the street. We built and planned the stall also entirely by ourselves, without any help from professionals. The design line for the store was saturated with nature, and until today when you walk into one of our stores, you can feel it through the extensive use of carefully selected timber, green plants, pebbles and everything we manage to collect from nature and bring into our store.
Today we own three stores; two in Tel Aviv and one is Oshiland Mall, Kfar Sava. Our vision is to thrive and blossom around the world. In our stores, you can design custom made jewelries, engagement rings and bracelets. You can choose to design the jewelries from items that are in store, and choose the type of necklace, its length, pendant, stones etc., and you can also choose to order special custom made ornaments, such as lockets, engraving, setting and alike.
Our design is not only physically different, it is also the way we interact with our customers- we enjoy their company and we feel like we are their little helpers, assisting them to create their desired jewelry the way they dreamed it. We are full of patience, love and understanding to our customers, and treat them at the exact same way we would have wished to be treated. On our stands, we used to always write "Every piece is unique, just like you!"
Come design your own jewel in one of our stores: 6 Shenkin St., Tel Aviv | 175 Dizingoff St., Tel Aviv | 2 Atir Yeda St., Kfar Sava.
With love,Hellen and David.
