Business: Crown Jewels
Address: 120 Water St., Naperville
Phone/Instagram: 331-814-3174, @crownjewelsbyls
Owner: Anna Hines, 42, of Naperville
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Years in business: Started in June
What does your business do? “We make permanent jewelry. We customize it. It can be a necklace, bracelet, anklet or a ring. You pick out your own piece. Then we weld it together, so there’s no clasp. … It’s nice to have a piece of jewelry on and not have to think about it. … Slowly but surely, it’s spreading like wildfire,” Hines said.
Why are you based at London Skye? “We consider London Skye to be our sister company. We use this as our flagship space to do pop-ups. Outside, we’ll do private events at people’s homes or different venues. We’re here twice a week,” Hines said.
How did this business start? “(London Skye owner) Joellen (Elam) and I have been friends for about six years. Joellen and I have talked about doing something together as I’m an entrepreneur at heart. So is she. Hilda (Guzman) is my sister-in-law. Hilda and I are the technicians. … This trend is fairly new. Started in California.”
You wear this jewelry 24/7? “Yes, you can shower. Work out. Whatever you want to do. … If someone was going in for surgery, we’ll remove the jump ring and add a clasp so they can have a removable piece.”
Is welding difficult? “It’s not hard at all. It takes maybe five minutes. We use a micro welder. We measure where they want it to fit,” Guzman said.
What did you do before this? “I have a family business with my husband Bobby,” Hines said. “We own gyms. Anytime Fitness and Base Camp Fitness Gyms. … We have 10 Anytime Fitness locations in the U.S. In Florida, we’re opening 20 Base Camps. I work in franchise development for our parent company, Self Esteem Brands. … This fits in because we really believe in helping people boost their self-esteem. This is a quick way to make someone feel good.”
How does it work? “We order jewelry we think our customers will like. Then we have that in stock. They see what they like and we put it together then and there.”
How’s business? “Pretty good. People were, ‘Oh my God, I’ve heard about it, but I don’t know where to get it.’ … There’s not many people doing this.”
When are you at London Skye? “We’re usually here Thursday nights, Sundays and sometimes we throw in a Saturday.”
Any events coming up? “We’ll be here on New Year’s Eve from 10 to 3. … We’ll be doing birthday parties, bachelorette parties, bridal showers. When my daughter turned 13, instead of doing party favors, I did permanent jewelry for all the girls. They were over the moon.”
What do you like best? “I am all about small business, especially in this day and age. I’m a big believer in supporting local businesses. Hilda is a hard-working mom. For three women to work together is an empowering feeling,” Hines said.
Any negatives? “It really doesn’t feel like work because it’s three friends working together, doing something fun together. We get to talk to people all day,” Hines said.
What misconceptions do people have? “People have asked, ‘Does it get embedded in your skin?’ No.”
What’s popular? “Bracelets and necklaces. But I have a feeling as soon as spring and summer hits, anklets will be big,” Hines said.
Do you have repeat customers? “Yes. They’ll want to stack their pieces.”
Stack? “Different widths. This one’s bigger, that one’s smaller. You can stack as many as you like.”
How did the virus impact your business? “I think people went through the rigors with COVID and are just wanting to go about their business now. COVID created a culture of sweatpants and loungewear. Nobody gets dressed up for anything anymore. So, this helps. ‘Even though I work from home in my sweats, I’m dressed up. I have my jewelry,'” Hines said.
What’s your favorite story? “We have several ‘I’m treating myself’ stories. We get that a lot, which is good because we live in a culture where a lot of times we treat ourselves with food. This is a healthier way to treat yourself.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Invest in yourself. … Just go for it.”
If you know of a business you’d like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Steve Metsch at [email protected].
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Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.