Today we’d like to introduce you to Mara Rothbart & Sara Smith.
Hi Mara and Sara, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
We have always had a love for jewelry and have explored design in earlier years. Sara handmade and designed fashion jewelry and sold it in local LA stores in high school and moved on to work in the jewelry department at Fred Segal. Mara’s family goes back four generations of jewelers within Southern California and grew up constantly going to her family’s jewelry store in Long Beach.
We met in our freshman year of college at USC and instantly became best friends. We loved fashion, exploring new places, and eating amazing food. Years later, after we graduated college, we both found ourselves in the corporate world. Sara was working in the textile industry in LA, and Mara was in finance in New York and recently transferred back to LA. We were both unsettled in what we were doing and decided to start a passion project… Smith and Mara.
We both had been in the jewelry world in various capacities and had connections to manufacturers, but had very little experience when it came to starting our own brand. We had to learn how to grow a business from the ground up, work with a production team, and bring our vision to life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Finding the right production team which took a few tries. Managing the fluctuation of materials such as gold and diamonds. Bringing awareness to our business in a very saturated market has also been a challenge, but we have been fortunate to have a great clientele and group of supporters.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are fine jewelry designers and operate an online retail business. We are known for unique designs and custom pieces that our clients can personalize. We are proud of the fact we have build something from nothing and have a very special relationship as friends and partners. It is always a risk to go into business with friends and family but we work so well together. We fit together perfectly and couldn’t imagine starting a company with anyone else.
We are also so proud that in 2012 when we started the business, we put each put in a small amount from our savings and have not had to put a dollar back in since. We have steadily grown and are just so grateful to our clients.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
We have looked to family for advice and other people within the industry with experience, but this was a very grassroots production that we did on our own. We don’t do much networking or any paid marketing, but we have created wonderful relationships with influencers and industry people who share our love of jewelry and promote our product.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.smithandmara.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/smithandmara
Image Credits
Malin Ackerman, Gigi Hadid, and Lupita Nyongo
