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At Fragments NYC, Trends Start Here | March 12, 2014 (0 comments)
New York, NY--"Fragments is my baby, turning 30 years old this year. We started in 1984 on Greene Street in Soho when Soho was a rough and tumble area," says Janet Goldman, owner. Through Fragments, Goldman--herself a designer, artist, and businessperson--has launched many a designer's career over the last 30 years.
In the unique position of being both a wholesale showroom and a retail jeweler, Goldman takes advantage of the fact that she has built-in market research. By observing her retail business, she learns firsthand from consumers whether a line hits the right combinaton of price, design, and wearability, and she can take that knowledge back to designers for any necessary adjustments.
"It's a good combination," she says. Prior to her design career, Goldman studied theater in college. On her first day at Emerson college, she met her future husband, the late Tony Goldman. "He was my sweetheart," said Goldman. The two married, then divorced, then nine years later married again and, says Goldman, "lived happily ever after."
Janet Goldman wears Wendy Yue's rose necklace. It's her new signature piece.
It was during their divorce that Fragments came to be. Janet Goldman launched Fragments as a matter of necessity. As the two parents shared joint custody of their children, she wanted to be near her kids. At that time, Goldman was working as a pattern maker and designer of lingerie in New York's garment district. She decided to start her own business, Janet Goldman Design Studio. "I started with cocktail dresses, of course," said Goldman. "I was always nearby, always in proximity. Family was my priority. Always was, always is."
Goldman struggled during those years. That experience gave her an unique insight into the journey that many designers travel today. "I experienced what designers go through, and this allowed me to feel very connected to them," she says. "I had determination and a vision. And it was very hard. At the end of the week, I found myself at my dining room table crying over my calculator trying to make ends meet. I had the talent, but not the finances. Many designers realize they don't have the capital to finance the business or to grow it, even if it's successful."
Goldman realized she needed to start something new. She sold her Park Avenue apartment and used the funds to start what became the Fragments Showroom. The showroom was located near her former husband's restaurant, The Greene Street Cafe, whose maitre d' was an aspiring jewelry designer named Brett Lewis. Lewis introduced Goldman to Jimmy Moore, and together they started Fragments Showroom.
"We discovered new talent that was handmade and unique. It was like curating a gallery," said Goldman. "We looked for different designs and designers, but those that could live together in harmony under one roof. The harmony had to work both in the Showroom and on the neck. We layered them together like fragments."
Her first customer was jeweler Joan Weinstein from Ultimo in Chicago. "She had great taste and was an amazing merchant," said Goldman. "She talked about us to her friends and bought pieces to sell in her store." From there, Fragments took off, with Brett Lewis as its first designer.
Was Fragments always jewelry? "Yes, it did start with jewelry," said Goldman. "It was a new launch, a new opportunity. We didn't do any market research, our selection came naturally. The press was good to us from the beginning because we had our own point of view and our own style."
So as the Fragments Showroom grew and prospered, the market continued to change. "Jewelry was different. At that time, stores were selling mostly tailored jewelry while we liked color, sparkle and glamour. Jewelry that had an edge. We called it fashion jewelry. Today, fashion jewelry is the biggest industry which we helped pioneer."
The Fragments Showroom has dedicated 4,000 of their 7,000 square feet to sales. "Every designer has his/her own case with a lot of space to show full range of his/her collection. We were able to have enough space to merchandise a line visually, one of first places to do so, in fact," says Goldman. The tagline for the Fragments Showroom is "The trend starts here," certainly an accurate description. Below, the Fragments Showroom homepage.
In 1994, Goldman attended Harvard's Owner/President Management (OPM) program. "After that I decided to open Fragments, a retail shop. I wanted to have a range of fashion to fine jewelry. We wanted to offer everything from teacher's gifts to engagement rings. We set out to be the friendliest store in Soho, a destination store with strong relationships."
Goldman credits the friendly environment to her staff of four plus one security guard. Many have been at Fragments for 20 years and are actually an award winning staff. In 2013, Fragments won the first Centurion Vendor's Choice Award for Best Sales Associate in a three-way tie.
"People get happy in our store," says Goldman. "Come to Fragments and change your attitude! Take accessorizing a little step further than you've gone before. People love that and walk away feeling great." Goldman can also often be found behind the counter on weekends. "When it gets busy, I take off my coat and help behind the counter."
The designers dominate the 1,200 foot retail jewelry store as well, of course. The Fragments website lists more than 65 designers' pieces in residence with price points beginning at $150. Below, interiors of Fragments, the retail store.
Above and below, Fragments' interior.
Fragments won another award recently, tying for second place in the Centurion Vendor's Choice Retailer Awards for Best Special Events. "Our attitude helped win that award," said Goldman. "We love getting together and letting our customers know they are welcome. We think long term, not quick sales."
Racgek Baritz, director of retail, elaborates on Fragment's special events strategy. "Virtual marketing campaigns have been very helpful and are something we use frequently. We send out email blasts with information and images to clients who are fans or collectors of specific brands we carry, as well as announcements of new collection arrivals at the store. Social media has been a great tool for us and has allowed us to gain a quick response from our fans. We can easily spread the word about new designers in the store, collections, trends, etc and reach a huge audience. Through social media, we have gained an even larger following which continues to increasing daily. At this point, we do not advertise in print or on the radio as we’ve found that organic growth and word of mouth have been the most successful for us."
So, is the jewelry the same at both Fragments? "We do carry a lot of the same designers in both," said Goldman. "If we have a new designer in showroom, we launch him/her in the store. The store is also designed to be an incubator to test market designers. Through Fragments Showroom, we sell to a lot of stores. In our retail Fragments, we see customer reaction so we can see what sells and make sure price points and quality are good." Goldman notes that they do sell collections in the retail store that they do not represent in Fragments Showroom.
It's that designer relationship that have made both Fragments work over the years. "Our relationships with the designers go on and on. I love that about this industry. We welcome new talent; that's the access card," says Goldman.
"I started this business in the spirit of fashion, friendliness and warmth. That's the culture of Fragments. That carries over to the staff and I wouldn't have it any other way. There is a Fragments family. We must have a happy vibe. People can feel it." And what does Goldman call this? "The Fragments Factor."
Fragments' retail website.