Donella Hand didn’t know it at the time, but she picked an ideal location for her new vintage jewelry store, The Circa Room. It’s right in the heart of downtown Madison, which is known for being Wisconsin’s fastest-growing city.
But beyond that, the foot traffic The Circa Room receives is the best kind, Hand says. There are the dog walkers, so she gets to meet lots of pet owners who are looking for an antique ring or something special for a loved one. There are the college kids, who might want a Georgian necklace to go with some TikTok trend.
Then there are the romantics, who all seem to pass by The Circa Room on a regular basis. “I’m always seeing couples kissing outside of the store,” Hand says. Luckily for them, she also specializes in engagement rings.
Hand opened The Circa Room this spring at 902 Williamson Street in Madison, the capital of Wisconsin. Madison is widely recognized for its great downtown with a focus on craft-beer breweries, a growing list of impressive restaurants with James Beard Award–winning chefs, and a beautiful location by many lakes and the University of Wisconsin’s dynamic campus. (Full disclosure: My in-laws used to live near there. I’m a fan.)
The Circa Room specializes in vintage and estate, as well as new, jewelry. Hand offers repairs and appraisals as well within the full-service jewelry store. Her business also specializes in Georgian- and Victorian-era jewelry.
“I love to build from existing materials or refurbish old pieces to new life,” Hand says. “My favorite pieces are the ones that hold very dear sentiments.”
Hand, a former flight attendant and real estate agent, started working in jewelry in 2000, spending the first 10 years of her career at a coin-and-jewelry shop as a manager. She decided to continue her education and graduated from GIA in 2014.
“I’ve always had a really good eye. I can tell when something is quality or special,” says Hand, who admits she used to read fashion magazines like the French or Italian version of Vogue, tear out the pictures, and create her own binders of the looks she wanted to re-create in her own life.
That devotion to classic fashion, thrifting for new-to-me clothing, vintage movies that she loves to watch, and her “old aesthetic” or preference for the Coastal Grandmother style has her always looking for the next great estate or antique piece of jewelry for her customers.
Hand started selling her favorite pieces online at first and had a successful Etsy shop. But seeing the growth of Madison and finding her ideal corner location had her convinced it was time to open her own retail store. She says the neighborhood has a lot of heart, so she feels comfortable there as well.
The Circa Room reflects her design talents as well. She uses vintage jewelry cases she sourced from around the area, a one-of-a-kind couch that seemed destined to live in an antique jewelry store, and modern concrete floors to blend the old and the new.
“My store is totally blessed. I just feel it,” Hand says.
Top: Donella Hand says the customer service at her new jewelry store, The Circa Room, is top notch because of her career training. She previously worked as both a flight attendant and real estate agent, so taking care of people in her top priority. (Photos courtesy of The Circa Room)
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