Business

Sunday, Sep. 07, 2008

The Follow-up File: Jewelry store still a gem for its remaining partners

Comments (0) |

Name: Kelly Maddalena Job: Co-owner

Business: Le Crème, a San Luis Obispo jewelry and gift store

What she said then: In September 2006, The Tribune interviewed Kelly Maddalena about Le Crème.

A collective of artisans opened the store in May 2005. They made all the jewelry sold

there. Their business agreement included sharing child care. When each artist took her weekly turn behind the counter at 464 Marsh St., another was

watching the kids. “Ultimately, we have always

felt there is power in numbers,” said Maddalena, a former real estate broker and then a stay-at-home- mom. “I get a day off from the kids and get to socialize with adults.”

What she says now: While their other partners left to pursue various careers, Maddalena and Christy Grierson have made Le Crème their full-time occupation.

“At the beginning we were scared,” she said. “We needed as many partners as we could to get started.”

They actually started with seven women in 2005, Maddalena said recently. All split the initial start-up costs; each was amicably reimbursed when she withdrew.

As Le Crème has evolved, the remaining partners have gained a new confidence in their roles. Decision-making, she confided, is undeniably simpler with two.

With only word-of-mouth advertising, 2007 gross sales exceeded $100,000. Year-to-date comparable sales are “more than double” this time last year.

Their creations — many with wrapped wire and semiprecious stones such as pearls, topaz or citrine—have found a particular niche in the wedding market, partly due to Grierson.

“She was into bridal jewelry and veils before this,” Maddalena said. Custom pieces on

a budget—with duplicates for bridesmaids—have earned Le Crème referrals from fine jewelers in the city.

Their jewelry merchandise ranges from $15 on the half-price table to $149. The shop also carries candles, knitted scarves, antiques and home décor on consignment.

It has turned a profit every year, she said, in part due to its low overhead. There are no other employees and they sublet almost one-fourth of its space to a consultant who found it difficult to work from home.

And the moms still care for each other’s children, ages 7 to 10, when the other is working.

On her days off, Maddalena crafts jewelry and keychains with her daughter Jackie, 9, and her son, Dylan, 7, at their home studio. The kids receive a commission on their creations sold in mom’s store. Jackie’s teachers have been

repeat customers, said the proud mom.

But sometimes the youngsters prefer direct sales from a lemonade stand in their San Luis Obispo neighborhood. Word has it each jewelry sale comes with free lemonade and licorice.

“They’re little business people,” exclaims Maddalena. “I think it’s giving them a little edge that I didn’t have.”