Nov 11, 2014

Our New Store: A Dream Fulfilled

LISA

The Backstory of the NEW Krikawa Jewelry Art Gallery

When I was in art school, I fantasized about one day owning a gallery that also showed other artwork. Apparently, other jewelers had a similar idea, and for years Tucson enjoyed two jewelry art galleries. (One of them even showed some of my work when I was in college!) Meanwhile, I went on to open Krikawa Jewelry Designs, on North Campbell Avenue. Though small, the showroom has served us well over the years, but a few years ago, I realized our quickly-growing business needed bigger digs.

Hunting for the just-right storefront proved to be trickier than I originally thought. My husband and I searched for a year and a half, negotiated a handful of contracts and even went into escrow with one. But for various reasons, each one fell through, and by spring, I was getting more and more frustrated.

Then fate stepped in. A jeweler artist friend emailed me one day in a panic: Both jewelry art galleries were closing their doors in May, and local artisans didn’t know where they’d show their work. It took me a split second to decide that now was the time to pursue my long-held dream from college. Suddenly, my wish list changed from a 600-square-foot shop on a side street to a 2,000-square-foot showroom on Congress Street, in the center of town.

Our agent consulted the listings but offered little hope. In fact, he told us there was nothing available on the popular street. But I didn’t get this far to give up and hopped online to do my own research. I checked Craigslist and happened upon the perfect listing: a 4,200-square-foot commercial space at 21 East Congress Street that recently dropped in price after languishing on the market for nine months. When we arrived at the store, it was trashed, but I could easily see the potential. If that weren’t enough, when I looked down at the weathered threshold I saw the magic words: “Daniel’s Jewelers,” one of the first jewelry stores in Tucson. Sold! We signed the papers soon after and opened the doors to the new location on November 22nd.
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