Carla Gizzi’s Jewelry & Home Studio – Red Bank’s ‘girlie shop’
BY TONY SENK
Correspondent
Red Bank Hub, USA
In this day and age, when so many businesses proclaim their appeal to all people, everywhere, all the time – Carla Gizzi, owner of Carla Gizzi’s Jewelry and Home Studio at Riverbank Antiques in Red Bank, is a breath of fresh air.
“Oh, I love it when men come in to look around and shop,” said Carla, of Tinton Falls, “but my studio is designed primarily with women in mind. Most of my customers are women – young moms looking for jewelry or gifts for their mom or their friends, or for items to uniquely decorate their daughter’s room. I’m pretty sure I have the only real ‘girlie shop’ in town!”
At Carla’s studio, custom jewelry and eclectic home decor items abound. From the wide assortment of bracelets and cast-iron wall switches to the shabby chic and cottage-style home decor, most of the items at her studio have an antique feel to them – with a decidedly feminine flair and flavor.
“This is not your typical shop,” said Carla. “Not many shops look like this one. We’re perfectly positioned right at Riverbank Antiques because most of the items I carry are vintage-inspired and have an antique look. Most people like these touches of vintage home decor, and they fit nicely into most homes.”
Items at Carla’s studio can range in price from a few dollars into the hundreds.
After working for years in Manhattan as a jewelry designer, Carla made her move to Riverbank Antiques and later became a manager there.
“I started here 11 years ago, not long after Riverbank first opened,” she said. “I had a small shop back then, and I specialized mostly in vintage jewelry. Then, I started buying home decor items, and adding my mosaic work to pieces, which I’ve continued and expanded over the last ten years. Last September, when this building became available, I figured it was time to go for it, so I opened the studio here. So far, everything has gone pretty well”
One reason why things are going well is because she is a talented buyer, with an eye for items that her customers like.
“Many of my most loyal customers are young women,” she said, “and, over the years, I’ve had a number of them tell me, ‘You have the same taste as I do’ or that ‘You have a good eye for buying.”
Carla keeps those eyes peeled for eclectic jewelry and cottage-style painted furniture. She often later adds her unique and original mosaics to the furniture to “give the piece a bit of its original character.”
Carla’s studio is dotted with unique clocks, chandeliers, pillows, picture frames and cast-iron switch plates made from antique molds. Her attention-grabbing front window frequently catches the eye of the shopper looking for that one unique gift for a unique friend.
And, all of these unique items are not just for sale during daytime business hours because Carla offers after- hours private parties at her studio.
“The after-hours parties feature fun and shopping and wine and cheese,” said Carla. “Basically, it’s girls’ night out! Friends can shop together and they have the entire shop to themselves. Shoppers can also go over to the antique shops at Riverbank next door. And, after-hours shopping often fits in better with their busy work schedules.”
Currently, hot-selling items at her shop include chests, mirrors and picture frames featuring Carla’s mosaics. Another group of items that Carla says, sell like crazy, are old-fashioned enamel signs with inspirational, feel-good messages on them. Some contain just one-word messages, such as “Believe” or “Imagine,” while others show full quotes from famous folks like Ralph Waldo Emerson or Eleanor Roosevelt.
Carla Gizzi’s Jewelry and Home Studio is open every day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the studio or on hosting an after-hours party there call (732) 450-0122 or visit the Web site, carlagizzi@comcast.net.
