March 20, 2017

Meet Lisa Sirlin-Hall of No Roses Jewelry in Sherman Oaks

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Sirlin-Hall.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
No Roses Artisan Jewelry Los Angeles officially launched in 2011, but my love of design was born long before we opened the shop. I was most definitely a maker growing up and always had my hands in clay, mosaics, bead stringing or wire-wrapping.

I graduated from Otis College of Art and Design with plans to build a career in communication arts. After more than a decade as a digital media and entertainment executive, I launched a creative studio to split my time between jewelry fabrication for private clients and copywriting for Netflix.

In 2010, my husband and I decided to transform what had grown into a respectable home business into a brick-and-mortar shop. We spent a year resolving my creative body of work, selecting other artists’ work to complement our “house” collections, looking at likely locations and writing a thorough business plan.

Looking back after six years in business, I’d have to say it was one of the most terrifying and satisfying leaps of faith we’ve ever made – and we are so happy we did it. Many of our clients have become friends, and I’m honored to be allowed to collaborate with incredibly talented colleagues.

Has it been a smooth road?
We’ve had six years of relatively smooth road with a few potholes, but then… no business is without challenges. Our minor struggles helped us learn or forced us to look at our business from a different perspective.

One of the more unexpected areas of growth for us was how to provide artists constructive feedback on the work they submit to us for consideration – without causing them to lose confidence in their creativity. It’s a fine balance – especially for emerging designers who are more sensitive to feedback.

The other ever-present challenge is publicity. We rely on grassroots digital, email and social media over print advertising to promote No Roses as a local, independent artisan business. We’ve had great success with Google Maps and with Instagram; still, we’re always looking for ways to spread the word among locals and to connect with bloggers, stylists and wardrobe professionals to take advantage of our unique selection and our studio services.

Neither my husband nor I are professional publicists and we have a small-business sized budget, so let’s just say that publicity is an excellent area of growth for us!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with No Roses Jewelry – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
No Roses Jewelry is unlike traditional jewelry stores that are often intimidating for the casual gift giver. From the beginning, No Roses Jewelry was destined to bend jewelry shopping rules. The experience walking in the door is closer to visiting a personable craft gallery than a stuffy jewelry store.

Curating an interesting and ever-changing mix of unusual and still very wearable jewelry is our secret sauce. We embrace emerging and seasoned jewelry artists whose work falls squarely between costume jewelry and ultra-fine jewelry. Sure we love diamonds and gold, but also delight in brass, nylon, vintage crystals and stainless steel. We also steer toward work handcrafted from reclaimed or repurposed materials.

The other unique aspect of our business is an in-shop working studio that specializes in “Re*Imagining” – taking heirloom pieces that clients can’t or don’t want to wear and redesigning them in partnership with the client. We breathe new life into forgotten jewelry. It’s a very satisfying creative effort.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
As a native Angeleno, I’m permanently in love with my city. I’ve travelled all around the U.S. but the more time I spend away from L.A., the more I love coming back home. Like other large metros, L.A.’s diversity of environ, architecture, culture and people is intoxicating, but it’s our weather and ease of lifestyle that, in my opinion, make it the perfect place to visit and live.

The *only* downside to Los Angeles is our infamous traffic. My advice? Don’t trust your digital map app… just ask a local for directions. LOL!

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