Elaine B Jewelry

Celebrating one year in cincinnati

They say that having your second child more than doubles the work, and that is true for businesses as well, it also exponentially enhances the pride and love that you feel. Our business has really grown up this year, we are now a team of 12 with 5 jewelers (6 if you count myself though I only make prototypes these days) and we’re hiring! Our expansion has created the typical challenges that come with any business… We have created systems and processes, guidelines and policies to reduce confusion and support everything from our inventory system to our employee benefits.  

It’s exciting, but it hasn’t been easy. If it was then everyone would do it…  

I am so proud of the business that our creative and hardworking team has built and we’re just getting started!

xo Elaine

Above: Elaine at our Cincinnati Opening in May of 2022. 

Our Journey

Born in 2010 in a small light-filled studio in Charlottesville, Virginia, EBJ found its footing at craft fairs and small boutiques. In 2017, our studio relocated to metro Detroit - officially opening our store there in November of 2018. Between the history, community, and architecture- there’s inspiration to be found everywhere in the historic Woodward Corridor. With your continued support, we were able to open a little sister location in Cincinnati, OH in 2022. We are so excited to be celebrating our first birthday in Cincinnati this week!

We chose Cincinnati because this city not only has a beautiful and supportive community and family ties for Elaine, but the trip to Detroit, the location of our flagship store, is only four hours away. We truly feel that EBJ offers a unique kind of shopping experience to this wonderful city. We are so excited to be a part of the eclectic neighborhood of Oakley. Our store is located in Oakley Square, across the street from the historic Twentieth Century Theater.

Left: Sales Associate, Riely, packing up some handmade jewelry. Right: Caitlin gives the Forever Linked experience to a customer. 

Building Our Dreams

It’s hard to believe just how far we’ve come in Cincinnati in a year’s time. Thinking back to those bare store walls, filled with possibilities of what could be, it feels surreal to be reflecting on our one year. 

Left: Elaine and Riely helping Forever Linked customers. Right: Elaine sharing a big smile outside our Cincinnati location.

Elaine and family-friend-turned-team-member, Riely, built the store up from scratch. Painting the walls, picking out jewelry stands, hanging art, designing shelves, and even making all of our plaster displays by hand. Their goal was to let Cincinnati’s store have its own personality, while still feeling like EBJ Ferndale’s “little sister.” 

Left: Riely showing off some new wall art featuring the Gemma collection. Right: Elaine making some new plaster jewelry displays for the Cincinnati store.

In some ways, it feels like we’ve been in Cincinnati for much more than a year - while in other ways, it feels like time has flown. One thing’s for sure though, we truly feel like we’re just getting started in Cincinnati. Just like our Spring birthday, we know the flowers are just beginning to bloom for us.

Above: Our alternative engagement rings making their debut in Cincinnati at our opening in May 2022.

Our Oakley Community 

We are so grateful to be a part of the Oakley neighborhood. Between the people, the food, and small businesses on every corner, we are so happy to be included in such a wonderful community! We’ve loved meeting new friends and growing relationships with those around us. Nothing beats having great neighbors. 

Above: Our customers in Oakley enjoying some laughs while shopping. 

Come Visit Cincinnati

Being a small store in square footage, the Cincinnati team is tiny but mighty. We can’t thank our team enough for all of their contributions to this store’s success. From giving thoughtful Forever Linked experiences to helping our customers design one-of-a-kind engagement rings, they’ve helped put Elaine B Jewelry on the map. We’ve even had people drive 4+ hours just to get Forever Linked in Cincinnati! 

If you’re not from Cincinnati, we can’t recommend enough that you make a weekend out of coming to town to visit. There’s always something going on in Cincinnati!! Between the food, the art, the sports, and the great people - there’s truly something for everyone to enjoy! 

Above: Some of our customers checking out our 14k fine jewelry. 

See our favorite Cincy record store here.

Visit our neighbors at the tattoo shop here. 

View our custom gallery here.

Read more about EBJ here.