Galicia Fine Jewelers

Mar 26

In their own words

“I’m a second-generation jeweler—my father started his business back in the ‘60s. I started a business in New York when I was in my twenties in the ‘90s. I’d noticed that a lot of my father’s clients were men, and they would come into his showroom to buy jewelry for their significant other. But I also noticed women who wanted to treat themselves, so I started to design for women. My motto at the time was: “A woman designing for a woman.” I love what I do. I’m so blessed to be able to make a living doing something that I am as passionate about today as I was when I was younger.”

-Lisa Garber

Jason’s Interview with Lisa

Jason

We're back on Meet the Jewelers and today we get to talk to Lisa Garber from Galicia Fine Jewelers. Tell us a little about the store and how you got into the business.

Lisa

I am originally from New York. I am a second-generation jeweler, my father started the business back in the 1960s--he used to import and export. He would have diamonds from here and bring them over to South America. And then he would have emeralds from South America and bring them to the United States. As the years passed, he decided to go with his love and passion of diamonds and became a wholesaler in New York for diamonds. That's around the time when I came into the picture in the 1970s.

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I've been involved with jewelry, between my father and the rest of my family, in one form or another. I started a business in New York when I was in my 20's, in the 1990s, catering to women. I noticed that a lot of my father's clients were men and they would come into his showroom a couple of times a year to buy a piece of jewelry for their significant other. But there were more women that wanted to treat themselves.

So I started to design for women. My motto at the time was "A woman designing for a woman." I went into one of the very high-end salons in New York and I rented space from them. I started with silver because it was definitely less money and I didn't want to just go in there with big diamonds. Little by little, women started to come to me and it was not very long before I had a couple of those salons in New York. Coupled with my husband at the time on Wall Street, I had a lot of clients from Wall Street. I became very successful and I made my first million dollars at 24. I love what I do. I cannot believe that I'm so blessed to be able to make a living doing something that I am so passionate about as much today as I was when I was younger. Jason: What's the experience like as a customer?

Lisa
I've always said customer service will never get old. When they walk in here, it doesn't matter how much they spend, it's the experience.

Jason
Were there other brands or mentors that you saw doing it correctly and you brought it to your store?

Lisa
No, not necessarily. I grew up around beautiful things. To this day, I remember going to Saks Fifth Avenue, right up the street on 47th Street where my office was, and I was 23 years old. I remember seeing Vanity Fair, Demi Moore on the cover, and she had on the sexiest shoes I've seen. I saw that they were Gucci, so I ran to Saks and I said, "I want these shoes." And they had them. That was my first splurge for myself. I still have the shoes. In 1994, they were $350 for a pair of Gucci shoes. For that moment, you feel like you're so important. It's fun, it's an experience. Everybody loves to feel important and special. That's what I want everybody to feel like when they walk into my showroom.

Jason
Tell us the feelings when you enter the doors.

Lisa
My experience starts before you walk into the door. It looks like a jewelry box. It's small, but it's all silvery, light blue, and just so clean. Everything is impeccable. There's no fingerprints on anything. Everything looks beautiful. Everything has a place. And the minute you walk in, we have this unbelievable aroma going through the vents that smells wonderful. All of my cases are up against the wall. We're actually side-by-side where we can talk, just like you and I would be talking if we were in person. That automatically takes away some of that stuffiness that jewelers have been associated with for so long. I have pieces that are a couple of hundred dollars and pieces that are several hundred thousand dollars. There's something for everyone.

Jason
What are some of the top brands that you love carrying?

Lisa
Lisa Garber, Lisa Garber, and Lisa Garber. That's really it. I don't carry designers but myself. I used to carry many designers, but over the years, thanks to my clients and my family, they just were like, "You design. Why don't you just have everything that you design?" I've been my own label for about 16 years now. While I appreciate the other designers and I love some of those designers, my showroom is about my designs.

Jason
Do you still do custom designs or is it strictly what's on your line?

Lisa
I do a lot of custom. I call my place of business the showroom. You can buy anything you see in my showroom right out of the case. However, a lot of it is examples and it gives you ideas to create the piece that's perfect for you or your loved one. I make a lot of pieces that never even go on the floor because they're made for special clients.

Jason
Talking about the clients you serve, why do you think they trust you?

Lisa
My number one is I've been in this community for 20 years. I've had my children here, they live here, and not only do we live and work here, but we're part of the community. We do a lot of philanthropy activities with multiple organizations throughout the valley. The other is I think my attention to detail, and my using the finest materials and latest techniques on the market. My designs are constantly changing, so it's not the same exact design, year after year. It's a combination of trust, the designs, and the expertise.

Jason
Tell us some of the top foundations this year?

Lisa
There is a company that reached out to me and they chose a handful of people from the valley, and with their help I'm going to be designing a baseball cap. The baseball cap will kind of be what I see people wearing, what I would like to see people wearing when they wear a baseball cap. The fun part about it is that once the baseball cap is done, we're going to put it out on social media and the cap is going to be $35. Half of that is going to go to an organization of my choice. I've decided to go with Mother's Grace, which is very near and dear to my heart.

Mother's Grace is an organization that involves a lot of moms. When other mothers are in a time of need, either they've lost their children, or they're sick, or they're battling cancer and they're just too weak to make a meal. We'll take turns delivering dinner to their families so that they can at least feel human as this is all going through. Or it can be as extensive as, on a personal note, one of my son's best friends, almost died a couple years ago. It was really heart-wrenching and really fast, and nobody knew what to do. Somebody from Mother's Grace reached out to the governor and he was able to have this young man transferred to the Mayo hospital and they were able to save his life. I support many organizations and they are all wonderful.

Jason
Tell us about this year's pieces.

Lisa
Roaring 20's, back in the 1900s. That's kind of the spin I'm starting to see with fashion, as far as clothing, and makeup, and shoes. So why should jewelry be any different? We're seeing a lot of great, long chandelier earrings. A lot of necklaces, one on top of the other, kind of haphazardly put on. Color is huge, yellow gold is huge. Chunky, mixed in with some lighter pieces, more than one piercing on the ear is more common. Chains going from one piercing to the other above it. Having a lot of fun, being able to express yourself through your jewelry. It's very exciting.

Jason
Talk about some fun engagement experiences where somebody has proposed.

Lisa
That's probably one of the most fulfilling parts, watching a couple. When we help them choose the beautiful ring that they are going to wear for many years to come, we make it as much fun as possible. I'm now meeting a lot of the second-generation clients that are coming in and getting engaged themselves. It's so fulfilling to see that, that they trust me to be part of their special memories in their lives. That's a privilege that I am so honored to have.

Jason
To this day, what motivates you?

Lisa
It's my passion. I love it and it's not a job to me. It's part of me. I can never imagine not being in the jewelry business in one way or another. It never gets old for me.

Jason
This is your platform to say whatever you like. Go for it.

Lisa
When you're in Scottsdale or even when you just want to buy something sweet, please look me up. It's Galicia Fine Jewelers galiciafinejewelers.com, and we would be more than honored to help you find that special piece.