229 W. 2nd St., Austin, Texas
The fashionable 2nd Street district lends a nice shot of glamour to a city that prides itself on homespun cool. Holding down the center of this thriving pocket of downtown is Eliza Page, Austin’s premier jewelry store for country girls, fashionistas, and everyone in between. Owner Elizabeth Serrato’s personality is equal parts elegance and good humor, as are the unique pieces she offers her customers. From her impressive array of nontraditional engagement rings to designer Mark Joiner’s colorful art-glass belts, Serrato favors eye-catching jewelry with a sense of whimsy. “It’s not about price or bling, but really about good design,” she says, as the afternoon sun floods the chic 1,000-square-foot store. “Austin is not a super-trendy town. We’re more about personal style.”
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The store’s name borrows from the owner’s first and middle names and pays homage to her beloved Dallas grandmother, Elizabeth, who first showed Serrato the power of good taste. “My grandmother and mother taught me how to shop,” she says fondly. “I don’t know if it’s a Dallas thing or a Southern thing, but I grew up having an instinctual gut feel for beautiful things.” She adores one-of-a-kind fashion pieces—like the Guinevere & Co. starburst Azura cocktail ring—that call to mind treasures customers might have once ogled in their own grandmothers’ jewelry boxes.
DON’T BE SHY
“My vision was to create a different shopping experience for jewelry,” says Serrato. “It can be really intimidating, especially for men. I don’t want people to feel like jewelry has to be an expensive luxury.” With that in mind, the centerpiece of her store is a long rectangular banquet table where less-pricey pieces (like a $156 Jan Michaels green malachite and turquoise bracelet) are arranged. “I want my customers to feel free to handle everything, try whatever they want on.” The finer collections—“little bitty pieces of art”—are showcased behind wall displays beneath lighting that is intentionally more natural: “I care more about design than sparkle.”
ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
Serrato tends to eschew the more traditional engagement rings and wedding bands in favor of the simple, organic style of designers like Anne Sportun (bands range from about $1,000 to $2,500) or Austin’s own Dean Fredrick, who specializes in natural-colored bezel-cut diamond bands ($4,500–$5,775). And Serrato doesn’t believe a stunner of a ring demands a wedding around the corner. One customer bought three of Fredrick’s stackable pink-diamond bands in honor of her three daughters.
CHEERS TO BEAUTY
“Austin is a happy city with great energy,” says Serrato. “My customers are as sophisticated as they are easygoing.” Eliza Page celebrates both of those attributes when the store opens its doors for bimonthly trunk shows with a DJ and an open bar. “Jewelry shopping shouldn’t be scary. I want people to have fun!”
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