Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Shale Kennedy has certainly made her mark in her first internship. At the invitation of Betsy Blancett Nacrelli, founder of Collections by Joya, 18-year-old Kennedy painted a large-scale mural on the main wall of the jewelry brand’s new studio and showroom, on Locust. The work is inspired by a series of line-drawn women’s faces that caught Blancett Nacrelli’s attention on Pinterest. “Joya is a by-women, for-women brand,” she says, “so the imagery was a perfect match.” Kennedy has practiced art since she was in the eighth grade, but before starting this project, she was a bit nervous. Still, she dipped a roller brush into a gallon of pale-pink paint and started to brush feathery strokes onto the studio’s faded peach wall. Next, she layered on Matisse-style faces in white. The style is a departure for Kennedy, whose previous work has tended toward realism, but the result, a mural that’s simple and abstract, is “just incredible and an amazing backdrop for the space,” says Blancett Nacrelli.
Betsy Blancett Nacrelli, owner of Collections by Joya, entered 2020 on a high note. The brand’s sales were up, and she decided it was time to expand her small Dogtown studio into a larger showroom. A four-month-long search across the city, involving visits to more than 30 properties, culminated in a spot at 2811 Locust, where Blancett Nacrelli fell in love. Then the stay-at-home orders forced the brand’s wholesale customers (80 percent of the business) to close their doors. Suddenly, a big move didn’t seem like such a good idea.
“I went back and forth,” Blancett Nacrelli recalls. “I eventually decided that the key for us was really going to be moving forward and looking to the future.”
The new Joya headquarters needed to be beautiful but also fulfill multiple needs. The building, with a contemporary gray iron–and–brick facade, is not a retail brick-and-mortar; the property houses office space, including a kitchen, and a conference area, warehouse, and showroom that in time will host events and pop-ups. Blancett Nacrelli says the building has good bones and underwent a renovation two years ago. She’s particularly drawn to its exposed beams, large windows, and natural light.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Betsy Blancett Nacrelli (left) and Shale Kennedy
In contrast to that matte gray exterior, Blancett Nacrelli wanted her clients to feel a light, airy, feminine energy on entering. The team took down walls and swapped the original blue paint for blush, then installed that unforgettable mural and artworks by painter Jessica Hitchcock and abstract artist Hayley Mitchell. Blancett Nacrelli, a furniture designer for 15 years, purchased the emerald velvet sofa in the lounge from a friend’s furniture business, Blue Ocean Traders, in Louisville, Kentucky. She also scoured vintage shops in search of an eclectic assortment of décor, plucking a Midcentury glass-and-brass console and two flokati-topped brass ottomans from Cool Stuff Period. Looking for a complement to the pink shades, jewel greens, and generous sunlight, Blancett Nacrelli tapped LoKey Designs’ Laura Dooley, who delivered three truckloads of plants.
In October, Joya will add lifestyle accessories and home goods to its offerings. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Blancett Nacrelli to expand the brand’s online presence. She launched Joya TV on Instagram and hosted the company’s first virtual sale.
The new space has already caught the eye of fans, and many have inquired about holding bridal showers and photo shoots in the lounge. Meeting clients face to face is what Blancett Nacrelli misses most, and she’s daydreaming about hosting the studio’s first launch party whenever it’s safe to do so.
“There’s nothing like being able to celebrate and engage with people in person.”
