With more than 40 years of experience in retail operations and corporate buying, Meredith Taylor knows her way around a gift shop. And when it comes to having a pulse on what’s hot in the jewelry industry, one might even say she’s Gifted.
Her Hilton Head, South Carolina, store, Gifted, is now the third to have the namesake which originally began in Pittsburgh several decades ago. In 2011, she carried the brand south to a 2,200-square-foot shop in the Village at Wexford shopping center where it has been voted the island’s best gift shop every year since it opened. Taylor attributes that success to the variety of products she offers at reasonable prices.
“I carry a lot of jewelry at all different price points in what I would call the bridge jewelry or a little bit better jewelry,” she explains.
When it comes to jewelry, Taylor selects quality pieces at budget-friendly price points to grab attention.
“My business is about 50% tourist and 50% local,” she proudly points out. “We have a really good local following.”
Shimmer and shine
At the top of her list for more than one reason is John Medeiros Jewelry Collections. Taylor notes his collections are considered bridge jewelry — somewhere between fine and costume jewelry.
“It’s probably the nicest bridge jewelry that’s still made in this country,” she explains. “It uses a good metal and then it’s coated with rhodium, which is the next-closest metal to platinum. The finishing is gorgeous.”
When it comes to trending jewelry, Taylor says enewton’s stacking bracelets take the cake. Starting at $38, Taylor notes the price point makes for an attractive gift that can be added onto for a truly unique style.
Available in gold, mixed metal containing gold and silver, pearls with sterling silver or pearls with gold, Taylor likens their popularity to the Pandora craze.
“It’s a very individual choice,” says Taylor. “People stand here and play with them, picking which ones they like together.”
Meanwhile, Tagua jewelry is making the rounds for its sustainable sourcing. Harvested from a palm tree found in Ecuador, the tagua nuts are dried, sliced, dyed and carved into jewelry, Taylor says.
“It’s real fun and lightweight and the colors are vibrant,” she explains. “I wouldn’t even say it’s beachy jewelry because you really can wear it anywhere. But it’s just perfect. We sell a ton of it.”
As for statement pieces, Taylor says no one does it better than Simon Sebbag Designs.
“The thing about their jewelry is it’s sterling silver and each piece looks super chunky, but it’s hollow so it’s easy to wear large earrings, but there’s no weight, so it doesn’t pull your ears down,” she notes. “You get this big look while it’s still super comfortable.”
A labor of love
It’s not just jewelry that makes her giddy. In fact, any product that Gifted carries is an extension of the brand she has been working to curate.
While she admits the job is fun and never boring, she warns others to consider the long hours that go into turning passion into profit.
“It has to be your passion because you will spend more time than you ever thought possible, so you better enjoy it,” she says.
She urges coastal retailers in particular to embrace advertising in local mailers, newsletters and shopping guides that are commonly used to direct tourists to shopping and dining opportunities.
And there’s no better advertising perhaps than a piece of jewelry that puts a stamp on a vacation and has a friend inquiring where it was purchased. If you’re lucky — or Gifted — like Taylor, the answer will be, “From the best gift shop on the island.”
