The grand opening for a new brick-and-mortar showroom could be compared to a baby’s first birthday party—the parents are as proud of themselves for getting to this point as they are of the special occasion they are celebrating.
At Bario Neal, a new showroom was an opportunity to get together with friends and customers. But it was also a way to highlight its brand’s values, share its space with other artists for the night, and celebrate the collective teamwork that got the brand this far.
Bario Neal is the collaboration of designers Anna Bario and Page Neal, who started making jewelry together in 2008 in Philadelphia. Its flagship store in the city of Brotherly Love also serves as their studio. Bario Neal’s new Brooklyn, N.Y., store at 155 Grand Street had its official grand-opening party in June, showing off the work of four New York artists, their namesake jewelry, and lots of music and conversation.
With this second storefront, Bario Neal is creating a company-wide feeling that is reflective of them as designers and their key supporters—their staff and customers, say Anna Bario and Page Neal in an email interview with JCK.
“Our goal is for our customers to feel relaxed, comfortable, that the space is inclusive, and that they are welcome to stay as long as they like—Sunday morning vibes,” Neal says.
While Bario Neal recently updated its website and loves working with clients virtually, there’s something special about having a retail store and studio, Neal says.
“We love meeting our clients in person and the energy that comes with being present in a physical space,” Neal says. “We find that many clients prefer to come to our showrooms to try on our jewelry in person or to view gemstone options. Whatever our client’s preference, we work hard to make sure that we can meet every client with a process that feels right for them.”
For its stores, Bario Neal is crafting a feeling that is clean yet modern, Neal says. For the Brooklyn space, that translated into a loft-like setting with open piping, black accents, brick walls, and glass-and-wood cases punctuated with color.
“In creating both spaces, we worked with the same local woodworkers to design and build our display cases and furniture so that the two showrooms share a similar aesthetic,” Neal says. “All of our chairs are vintage pieces that we have sourced from our favorite local thrift stores. When choosing our partners to build out the spaces, it was important to us that the ideology of our jewelry—slow fashion, sustainability, and ethically sourced materials—are reflected in the showroom furnishings.
“We want our spaces to feel contemporary and minimal while communicating our design aesthetic,” she says. “It’s important to us that our spaces feel identifiable with Bario Neal, and leave enough room for a client to feel like they have a fresh palette to try on our jewelry or design something special for themselves or a loved one.”
Top: Black accents, wood cases and furniture, as well as “Sunday morning vibes” describe the new Brooklyn, N.Y., location of Bario Neal, a partnership between designers Anna Bario and Page Neal (photos courtesy of Bario Neal).
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