by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
“Recession? What recession? We’re expanding!”
Those words were spoken Monday morning by Pong Mattiace as she and her daughter, Michelle Rhoades, were putting the finishing touches on the relocated and much larger Hanna & Her Sister jewelry store at the Landing.
Mattiace said the new store is the fulfillment of a dream she has had since the first day she opened the business in a kiosk at the Landing 20 years ago. Two years later, it had grown to the point Mattiace moved into a storefront near the Visit Jacksonville! Welcome Center.
“All my life I have followed my dreams and I’m not going to stop now,” she added.
In addition to gold and diamonds, the store now offers wedding gifts and invitations by custom-order. Mattiace said unlike the previous space the new store store has enough room to offer the additional products and expanding the product line makes good business sense, especially in view of the economy.
“People aren’t going to stop getting married. They aren’t going to stop having children. People are still going to take gifts to a wedding,” she reasoned.
Rhoades grew up in the store.
“I remember when I wasn’t tall enough see over the showcases,” she said.
Rhoades also said that since her mother made the decision to semi-retire to spend more time traveling, she will be running the store as well as merchandising it. The panoramic windows facing the central hall of the Landing will offer plenty of artistic possibilities.
“I have always been interested in interior design and this space makes it possible to change the look of the store for different seasons and promotions,” she said. “We can also carry a lot more inventory than we could before.”
The two businesswomen said they attribute their success to having developed a loyal customer base as well as the store’s location. Both admitted they considered a more far-ranging relocation but in the end, decided to stay close to what they knew has been working since 1989.
“Downtown has been very good to us,” said Mattiace. “We have customers coming in today who came in with their parents years ago. And the Landing has been very good to us. We have lots of customers who are attorneys and bankers and office workers and lunchtime is always busy.
“We thought about moving, but we walked past this space every day and always thought it would make the perfect place for our business. It’s a way to work with my wonderful daughter, spend time with me and create things. That’s the joy of my life.”
“We offer quality products at realistic prices with personal service. There are plenty of places where people can buy jewelry, but they buy it from people they like,” added Rhoades.
When asked about the future of the family business as this latest chapter has begun, Rhoades looked at her mother and said, “She’s already pushing me for a third generation.”
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