Today we’d like to introduce you to Haverhill Leach.
Hi Haverhill, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
One of my first memories as a child is exploring the jewelry manufacturing factory owned and operated by my family since the 1800s. I always had a love for jewelry but I first wanted to dip my toes in other fields. Previously I was handbag designer in New York, a swimwear designer in L.A., and an Interior Designer in Rhode Island. As I developed many experiences and created many lines, jewelry design became my favorite medium- maybe it was etched in my DNA.
I started my company, HAVERHILL in 2013 and have since had a wonderful journey digging deeper into what jewelry really means to me and to my customers. I started by creating pretty items that made women feel sparkly but with our personalized jewelry, we are now doing something greater. We are celebrating connections by making personalized jewelry that represent the people you love most in this world.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think the path of an entrepreneur is rarely a smooth one but the bumps make the rewards that much more gratifying. Like a lot of small businesses, at the start, you have huge ideas but not enough people or resources to bring your ideas to life straight away. In order to get the work done with 2 people instead of 20, you have to put in a lot of late nights and weekends and that can be very challenging to balance with having a family to care for simultaneously. I am very lucky to have an incredibly smart business partner, Andrej Strojin who also happens to be my husband. Having a business partner who lives with you but also has completely different skills from you is a huge advantage. I cover the creative and branding and Andrej covers the business side of things… which has many sides!
We now have an incredible team of 30 people so now we can actually take vacations and occasionally play hooky.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We specialize in creating custom-made, Personalized Birthstone Jewelry. We celebrate your journey through gemstones or letters that have special meaning to you. Because our jewelry is so meaningful, I design each piece to be very timeless and classic, and always comfortable. I want our jewelry to stand the test of time and be passed down through generations. Our jewelry is often the one piece that our customers claim to “never take off”.
The designs are inspired by New England values and the nature that I am surrounding by. Our coastal Rhode Island studio is wear all of our jewelry is designed and created for each customer in only 1-3 business days. We are very proud that we have achieved this timeline with our fabulous team!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Create a team of constant advisors. Expose yourself to new and exciting ventures. Focus on what is true to yourself and the most meaningful reason behind all of the decisions you make. And last but not least, get a business partner who has a vision that is aligned with yours but who has a completely different set of skills.
When I look back to when I was starting out, I wish I had known to just go with my gut instead of trying to please others, including my customers. When you really love an idea or a design, you may not please the people right in front of you but if you love something, you need to trust that there is a huge population who will also love it!
Contact Info:
- Email: marketing@haverhill.com
- Website: https://www.haverhill.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haverhillcollection/
Image Credits
Roxanne Bryant
Haverhill Leach
