Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Wolf.
Lauren, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been in the jewelry business for a long time, about 15 years. I decided to open a retail location seven years ago in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland. My jewelry line, www.laurenwolfjewelry.com, was moving in a more alternative bridal direction and I wanted to have a small space where I could meet with clients and work directly with them on creating such a special piece of work.
I found a wonderful space in Oakland and decided to bring in work from designers that I had worked with in our small jewelry community. So, the idea of the shop started off small but has grown into something much bigger. We opened our second location in Echo Park three years ago and the neighborhood has been a great fit for us.
We are in the process of opening a Home Goods store in Los Feliz to offer more of our home aesthetic to our Eastside customers. We are thrilled to be on the block with Hotel Covell and all the other businesses that are opening up on the block.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The “shop” part of my business has been more or less a smooth road, but it took a lot of hard work to get to that point. Starting a jewelry line is challenging, and there are lots of hurtles. I would say starting that part of my business was very challenging, but the retail side of the business has been lots of fun and perhaps comes more naturally for me.
ESQUELETO – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
ESQUELETO is a small boutique with a focus on fine/fashion jewelry with an emphasis on alternative bridal. We offer work from more than 30 independent jewelers, alongside local artisans making ceramics, textiles, and artwork. We also produce my collection, www.laurenwolfjewelry.com, under this umbrella, so we are able to offer unique design services for custom projects. This is another part of the business that is a lot of fun.
Helping customers bring life to old heirlooms or new ones, has been both challenging and rewarding at the same time. I’m most proud of the team/employees that work for the company. They are the true backbone of making it all work, so being able to work with so many wonderful people has been the most rewarding part of the business.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I would say, the opening of our stores has been the proudest moment. ESQUELETO Oakland has been a great success story, so it’s really amazing to see the brand grow and develop into something much bigger than just a shop.
Pricing:
- Engagement Rings $500-$40,000
- Homeware $100-$8000
- Jewelry $40- $20,000
Contact Info:
- Address: 1298 W. Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026 (ESQUELETO
4618 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90027 (ESQUELETO HOME) - Website: www.shopesqueleto.com
- Phone: 213 947 3508
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: shopesqueleto
Image Credit:
Alexis Adams
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