Jennifer Heebner, Senior Editor

At 1,575 pounds (with some assembly required), the Drop &
Shop display is quite the Ikea-like purchase for jewelers. Debuted last week at
Couture 2011 in Las Vegas, the display—which features a mirror flanked by two drawers—is a modeled after vintage vanity
tables. Instead of walnut-veneered
surfaces à la 1930, however,
Drop & Shops—named to sound similar to the shop-in-shops retailers are
already familiar with—are available in black and white paint, or can be
customized to the colors of the jewelers’ choosing to coordinate with store
décor.

The brainchild of Michael Pucci, CEO of Abbiamo
Group (“I dreamt the idea,” he joked to JCK in phone interview), he persuaded Isharya execs—recent clients
looking to launch and brand their Indian-inspired costume jewelry in the
United States—to manufacture the furniture. Pucci found a manufacturer—which makes all
units in the United States—just blocks from his own Burbank, Calif., headquarters.

“I thought this would be great to take people away from being
‘behind the counter’,” says Pucci. “Drop & Shops take fashion out of the department
store and put it into the jewelry store.”

The vanities themselves feature 3-foot-wide banks of 12
drawers total on either side of a 3-foot-wide, 7-foot-tall center
mirror; users must ascend a 6-inch tall platform to position themselves in the
center of the unit. Drawers, meanwhile have soft-touch functionality, and
locking mechanisms for retailer security. The rear of the unit has a shelf—“for
a projector,” says Pucci, who envisions the vanity being used in trunk and even
fashion shows—and space for up to 75 pieces of Isharya jewelry valued at
$15,000. In fact, that’s the way Isharya aims to sell the units: stocked with its merchandise. Bottom draws are deep enough to house 24 oversize cuffs,
while other drawers have pull-out trays, and can be outfitted with a variety of
pads and trays to store other styles. Those who don’t want to stock Isharya can
still buy units, which after shipping costs will total about $15,000.

So far, Pucci has received five verbal commitments from
retailers and one other Couture exhibitor who simply wants the
unit for personal use.

For more information, contact Pucci at pucci@abbiamogroup.com or call 818-847-7405.

JCK