Brewster Small Business Spotlight: The Jeweler to “Dancing With the Stars”

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this exciting series — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

Business: Anne Koplik Designs, Inc.

Owners: Anne DiFranco, Jill Yee & Kara Garecht

Website: www.annekoplik.com

Address: 173 Main Street, Brewster, NY 10509

How did you come up with the name?

When Anne first started our company in 1981, she named it: The Glass Works Studio, Ltd.” because she was primarily using unique antique glass pieces in her very first designs. What she didn’t know was that “The Glass Works Studio” was a fairly common name. Thus, we were often confused with other companies. When Warner Bros contacted us late in 1999, and asked us if we were “The Glass Works Studio, that makes jewelry?”, we knew we needed a more unique name and one with a more personal appeal. In the beginning of 2000, and by unanimous decision, we decided to rename the company “Anne Koplik Designs," as Koplik is Anne’s maiden name, her family name and therefore a name that is a part of Jill and Kara too.

Why start a business in this town?

The business was started over 35 years ago on Anne’s kitchen table in her home in Rockville Centre, NY. After several moves, all to rental spaces, the company moved to their permanent location on Main Street in Brewster, NY in January 2002.

What business are you in?

We are one of the last companies making fashion jewelry in the USA. We use only the finest materials such as crystals from Swarovski®, lead and nickel free metal, hand mixed and hand applied enamel, true vintage and reproduced European glass, Mother of Pearl, etc… A fun fact about Anne Koplik jewelry is that we have provided the jewelry worn on “Dancing With the Stars” since Season 5! We are privileged to exclusively work with their Emmy Award winning Wardrobe Department. In fact, Anne Koplik jewelry is a “go-to” brand for hundreds of celebrities and stylists. Besides Hollywood, we are also honored to be carried by many prestigious retailers such as: The Smithsonian Museum, Colonial Williamsburg, The National Gallery of Art, etc…

What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?

Exposure! Almost everyone who knows about us loves quality, our story and appreciates our unique and feminine designs. We constantly are trying new avenues to “get the word out” and increase our brand awareness. This continues to be our biggest challenge.

How does your business give back to the community?

For years we have strived to be a “good neighbor” by consistently donating merchandise to local charities for silent auctions, etc… In addition, we have donated a percentage of sales to different charities for different reasons. For the month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are donating $2 of every sale from our “Pink Ribbon” collection to the Support Connection in Yorktown, NY.

Showroom Sale dates:

Friday, October 21: 12pm – 7pm

Saturday, October 22: 10am – 4pm

Sunday, October 23: 10am – 4 pm

Friday, November 18: 12pm – 7pm

Saturday, November 19: 10am – 4pm

Sunday, November 20: 10am – 4 pm

Friday, December 2: 12pm – 7pm

Saturday, December 3: 10am – 4pm

Sunday, December 4: 10am – 4 pm

At our sale, all the merchandise is 75% off, and we have a Free Raffle. Any questions can be emailed to us at: info@annekoplik.com

PHOTO/ contributed