Store lauds new locale, reopening

After 15 years at Brightleaf Square in Durham, the jewelry store Goldworks has moved to a new location at University Mall.

The new store, which opened Oct. 8 after closing its doors at Brightleaf on Sept. 30, had its grand opening celebration Friday.

The store specializes in handmade, one-of-a-kind jewelry. Molds of the jewelry designs are never produced, which means that products are original and never re-created.

Owners said the new location, which is located at 201 S. Estes Drive outside of A Southern Season, is expected to bring new customers to the store.

The old store did not have a high amount of walk-by traffic, said co-owner Wren Hendrickson.

"The location (at Brightleaf) is a very nice aesthetic location, but it's a sleepy location," she said. "People came to us because they already knew about us."

Hendrickson and her husband, Ted, own the store. They began making jewelry more than 20 years ago. They opened the store so that they would not have to travel around to trade shows.

"We really enjoy having a store," she said.

Both owners participate in jewelry-making and design along with the 12 artisans on staff, who also work in the store.

The new store has twice the amount of floor space that the old location did. A larger area allows for better organization and to showcase each artisan's work, Wren Hendrickson said.

Ted Hendrickson said the decision to move to University Square was an easy choice. "We were languishing at Brightleaf, and we had the opportunity to move across from A Southern Season. The advantages were so apparent."

He said he does not expect the store to expand beyond its current location.

Janet Marks, an artist and designer, has been a part of Goldworks for 10 1/2 years. She said she was excited about the new location because it will expose the artisans' work to a new market.

"It's a great opportunity," Marks said, adding that she likes the layout of the new store because it displays a variety of artists' works in a large, more open environment.

"It don't think of it as retail. ... It is more of a gallery," Marks said.

Wren Hendrickson said the products in the store appeal to two distinctive groups of customers: those in the arts community looking for unique pieces and young adults planning to get married.

The store sells several wedding and engagement rings.

Artist Jesse Carkin said he was introduced to Goldworks when he was searching for an engagement ring after his fiancee told him about the store.

He said he never had an interest in jewelry until he bought the ring and learned about this art form. He became a Goldworks staff member in February.

"I didn't want to be a starving artist," he said, adding that he was gaining new skills as a goldsmith.

Carkin said he was happy with the new location. "It is really nice to see people come and browse."

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.