Fortrove News

Everyone in the jewelry industry are doing their best to stay ahead of things during the pandemic. One such business is Emilie Shapiro Contemporary Metals. 

In an interview with JCK, owner Emilie Shapiro was asked about her work environment during the pandemic. "We actually just moved the studio a few weeks ago to a new space that is right across the street from where we live, and it has been a total game changer," she said. "There were a lot of factors that went into why we moved, but not wanting to commute on the subway in the foreseeable future was one. Having a young kid (and another on the way) were my main reasons. At the beginning of quarantine, I created a home “studio” in our bedroom, and it just wasn’t working anymore. I worked between the desk in my room, my kitchen table, and we cleared our closet out to store inventory and materials. My bedroom floor became our shipping department, and it was insane. I never knew where anything was, and I just felt so disorganized and out of control. We’re so fortunate to have a backyard, so we would do our work back there, six feet apart! I’m really lucky we had other options and could make something work, but I am ecstatic about our new space. It feels so good to be able to start fresh in a new space, and you really can’t beat my new commute!"

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When asked about how the events of 2020 have changed her business strategy and more, Shapiro said, "One of the biggest shifts has been pivoting to not mainly rely on our wholesale accounts in the ways that we used to. There are no in-person wholesale trade shows for the foreseeable future, and it’s devastating that many of our retail partners are not doing well, or have already closed their doors. In contrast, a lot of our partners are doing really well right now. We’ve been holding Zoom appointments and connecting with our retail partners in new ways. We’ve taken this opportunity to really shift our focus to our website and strengthen our direct-to-consumer sales."

Information originally sourced from JCK.