Houston jewelry shop J. Silver, which was founded in 1999 by retailer J. Landa, just got a major facelift—along with a complete rebranding.
Rechristened J. Landa, the newly renovated store is as boldly graphic as it is glamorous-feeling. The 1,500-square-foot space boasts custom-designed elements galore: Floors are Carrara marble and hardwood, configured into chevron patterns; lacquered antique Chinese doors replace cabinet covers; the walls have been reimagined in a two-toned wood chevron pattern, punctuated with gold metal accents; side tables swathed in crocodile skins add subtle luxe; and a hand-blown chandelier affecting an illuminated bundle of amber-toned icicles now dangles from the ceiling.
Inside the newly revamped store (Photographs by Phoebe Rourke-Ghabriel)
“It’s just so cool,” says Landa. “It’s everything I like. I always say that if you can’t live the lifestyle, you can’t sell it. Now we can.”
Landa’s personal interior designer, Houston-based Dennis Brackeen, reinvented the shop. “He would say, ‘It’s very Alexander McQueen–meets–Tom Ford,’” explains Landa. “I was coming up with a renewal of my lease and I thought, If I’m going to renew and stay longer, I have to do something different.”
Integral to the fresh design was the creation of an enclave for young and up-and-coming jewelry designers. The New Designer Lab spotlights the work of “so many [artists] out there making new collections,” says Landa. “Now I can host them periodically and show their innovations.”
Chan Lu, Alexis Bittar, Uno de 50, Zoë Chicco, CATHs, Dogeared, and the J. Landa private collection are among the labels featured in the enclave. Because of friendships Landa has forged with many of the designers stocked in his store, J. Silver regularly carried one-off pieces made expressly for the shop—an initiative the retailer will continue with J. Landa.
Next up for Landa (and his French bulldog, Moe): “I want to take the store to a more national platform,” says the retailer, who is in the midst of hiring a team to “help me brand the store, because retail is no longer classic brick-and-mortar.”
J. Landa owner J. Landa with his Frenchie, Moe
Landa will be focused heavily on his online business over the next year, with an emphasis on social media–based initiatives. Simultaneously, he’s thrilled to treat his longtime local clients to some seriously swanky shopping. “In the end,” he says, “I want J. Landa to be a go-to store for Houston.”
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