People often wear their hearts on their sleeves. But the Rowley-based jewelry brand LOLA also lets you wear it on your wrist, around your neck, on your hands, and more, with their beautiful pendants and other pieces that feature creative designs and inspirational words.
Now, LOLA has opened its first North Shore boutique, LOLA & Company Newburyport. It joins two other shops, Love Shack Nantucket and Love Shack Newport in Rhode Island, as well as the more than 250 other retail locations around the country where the jewelry is stocked.
The idea for LOLA, which stands for “love one, love all,” came when founder and president, Lilith Guerrera of Boxford, went on vacation in 2009 and bought a piece of jewelry with a quote on it. It spoke to her and inspired her to create pieces that felt meaningful, that people could wear “like a badge of honor,” she says.
Guerrera began designing in 2009 and launched LOLA in 2015. She had experience in the food business and had always had an entrepreneurial spirit and creative side. She calls starting a jewelry business “one of my crazy ideas.” It’s an idea that paid off and has resonated with people. At first, LOLA didn’t have a storefront or an online presence. Instead the company got its start doing trunk shows in people’s homes and shops.
“It was just the best way to really see if people liked the jewelry, which they ended up loving. They loved that it had meaning. They loved the look of it,” Guerrera said. “So we just kept marching forward.”
Now, LOLA’s jewelry is available online and in stores across the country. It’s available in sterling silver or sterling silver plated in 24K yellow gold and comes in a variety of styles, including necklaces, rings, anklets, bracelets, and cufflinks. But the brand is best known for its enamel pendants, which feature a design on one side and a word or phrase on the other.
“The designs speak to so many different people,” says CEO Laura Brewer of Newburyport.
She points to their popular “choose to shine” pendants featuring a pretty sunflower and their beloved family collection, including mother and daughter pendants that read “you will always be part of me” with a delicate, swirling knot pattern.
And there really is something for everyone, with countless colors, designs, and sayings. There’s an anchor on a blue background that says, “don’t give up the ship;” a compass rose that says, “follow the direction of your heart;” a dragonfly that says, “with brave wings she flies;” an evil eye that says, “good vibes only;” and so many more. There are zodiac pendants and ones designed for medical professionals. There are also special pieces, like ones that benefit the American Cancer Society that depict a butterfly with “courage and strength within” printed on the back.
Guerrera’s design inspiration can and does come from anywhere.
“Something will just catch my eye. It could be a sign, it could be a saying. And then I’ll investigate, how does that translate into a symbol? Or is it something that I want to create from scratch as a symbol?” she says.
Even beyond the aesthetics, though, the jewelry resonates with people on a deeper level than simply being something pretty to wear.
Brewer says Guerrera, “always understands the emotional connection that it makes with other people, because it makes that emotional connection with her.”
Now, North Shore shoppers can find all things LOLA right in the heart of downtown Newburyport, just in time for the holidays.
“We have such an amazing, loyal customer base here,” Guerrera says. “We thought it would just be fantastic to be able to bring the entire line to all of our customers here.”