Jewelry designers go from blog to Belk in 3 years
Three years ago, two friends started a fashion blog. Then they started selling some jewelry. Now, their jewelry will soon be sold in Belk stores.
That’s the whirlwind journey of York County residents Emily Gonzalez and Katelyn Barringer, the women behind jewelry designer Reece Blaire.
A photo posted by Reece Blaire™ (@reeceblaire) on Apr 28, 2015 at 8:55am PDT
Barringer, 24, and Gonzalez, 26, both Winthrop University graduates, were among the winners of the Belk Southern Designer Showcase 2015.
According to an article by the Rock Hill Herald’s Don Worthington, the two met at Winthrop through a mutual friend, and were sisters in the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.
The jewelry business grew out of a problem before Gonzalez’s 2011 wedding. Gonzalez couldn’t find the right jewelry for Barringer, her maid of honor, and others in the wedding. So Gonzalez designed and made the pieces herself.
The two started a fashion blog in 2012, but it became more than a blog when people wanted to buy the jewelry featured in the posts. Three years later, Reece Blaire — a name drawn from the duo’s middle names — offers bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings and more.
| share your Reece Blaire | Keep Your Baubles Stacked | repost from @shoplaroque & friends | #reeceblaire #shareyourreeceblaire #keepyourbaublesstacked A photo posted by Reece Blaire™ (@reeceblaire) on Apr 23, 2015 at 5:44pm PDT
From the Reece Blaire website: “The uniqueness of their pieces comes from their use and arrangement of semi-precious stones, shapes, and metals. Daily, the two work to embody sass, wit, & sophistication through their jewelry designs and their individual lives.”
Now they’re ready to see what Belk has planned for them.
“Whether this is short lived, or long into the future, I’m doing this with my best friend,” Barringer told Worthington. “I can’t put a price on that.”
A photo posted by Reece Blaire™ (@reeceblaire) on Apr 16, 2015 at 1:12pm PDT
Photo: Don Worthington/Rock Hill Herald
Corey Inscoe covers sports for the Charlotte Observer’s community sections, but also really likes good music, good food and Charlotte beer. Follow him on Twitter@CoreyInscoe.
This story was originally published May 5, 2015 at 9:41 PM with the headline "Jewelry designers go from blog to Belk in 3 years."