Mandeville, La.—After Hurricane Katrina, jewelry stores were among the business casualties, and some area jewelers, fearing recovery would take a long time, even left town.
But Anne Dale, owner of Anne-Dale Jeweller in the New Orleans suburb of Mandeville, La., stayed, and says she is likely to post record sales this year, especially at Christmas—not so much despite the disaster as because of it. Her New Orleans-centric jewelry line has not only helped raise thousands of dollars for various charities and relief funds, it has raised her own profile and broadened her store’s customer base.
Dale collaborated with Stuller, the Lafayette, La.-based manufacturer, to produce the popularly priced jewelry. So far, $126,000 of the two companies’ profits have gone to disaster-relief charities.
“The jewelry says ‘courage’ and ‘nobility,’” Dale says. “It heightens awareness of the disaster worldwide. We’ve been filling orders from all over, nationally and internationally, because Stuller sells the jewelry through its 40,000 accounts around the world.”
The line’s flagship piece is a pin or pendant featuring a fleur-de-lis within a heart, which, combined with lettering above and below, carries the message “I Know What It Means To Love New Orleans.” Related pieces include a “Return To New Orleans” ring (in men’s and ladies’ models) that employs a fleur-de-lis, and a “Pray For The Gulf Coast” medallion/key chain featuring Mary and the baby Jesus. The line is available in sterling silver or 14-karat gold, with price points from $29.95 to $399.
In its quest to benefit groups such as the Covington Food Bank, Lighthouse for the Blind, Habitat for Humanity and numerous churches, the jeweler has also found an ally in some other local businesses.
“McIlhenny Co., the maker of Tabasco, is going to be selling our product on the Tabasco Web site, and it’s in their store on Avery Island,” Dale says.
The company also has several more stores in the New Orleans area. Dale herself has done TV appearances to promote the line, which has been an easy sell to the area’s residents.
“We have an additional 100,000 people living in St. Tammany Parish because of Katrina, and the trauma and tragedy have given them a greater desire to celebrate life and their loved ones,” Dale says. “Even before the holiday season, business increased because people want to commemorate family-oriented events, and we’ve seen a lot of post-Katrina marriages and babies.”
Anne-Dale’s, founded in 1986, is a single-unit, 2,200-square-foot carriage-trade jewelry store, located in a city with the highest per-capita income in Louisiana. Though its traditional focus has been engagement rings, bridal sets and unique colored-gemstone jewelry, Dale says she is trying to cater to the area’s altered population—not quite as well-heeled as it was before the storm—without sacrificing quality.
“We weighed the base product, the sterling silver badge, very carefully, so that we could price it at $29.95 and have it mean something to everyone, from all walks of life,” she says.
James Louviere, director of religious and family jewelry at Stuller, notes that the company has a long relationship with Anne-Dale Jeweller and that Dale, whose family has strong New Orleans ties, teaches a gemology course at Stuller’s workshops.
“Many people have the same emotional ties to the city that she has; in fact, customers sometimes come into her store to buy the jewelry crying,” Louviere says. “It’s hard to understand unless you’re from New Orleans.”
So far, the entire line has sold almost 33,000 pieces, he says.
“And as for the effectiveness of the ‘Pray For The Gulf Coast’ piece, I’ll point out that we haven’t had a major storm since it was introduced,” Louviere says.