When Laura Freedman heard Marianne Faithfull’s raspy voice singing, “Say it in broken English,” the words resonated instinctively. “It was so beautiful,” she recalls. “Whatever way you say something, it’s the sentiment that matters.” That message is reflected in the name of her boutique — Broken English — and in her approach to business.
“Jewelry commemorates moments and milestones in your life,” says Freedman. “It could be the bracelet your grandma gave you, your engagement ring, or the necklace you bought to reward yourself for a job well done. It doesn’t matter how expensive it is; the sentimental value far exceeds the actual value of the piece.”
Following her instincts has played a significant role in her career, including her decision to open a jewelry store. After graduating from college, she accepted a position with the Listen Up Foundation, which music impresario Quincy Jones formed to raise money for inner-city children. Freedman admits to “panicking” after the project ended. Resisting her father’s advice that she embark on a corporate career, she went to work at a friend’s jewelry store. “Rather quickly, I felt in my heart that this was something I wanted to do. I really understood how to run a small store. I got it — the merchandising, financing, customer service, and I was really good at selling.”
In 2006, the owner of Brentwood Country Mart in Santa Monica, California, approached Freedman to open a jewelry store on the recommendation of his girlfriend, who was one of her clients. In those “pre-Louboutin days,” Country Mart had not yet achieved its celebrity-sighting status. But it was perfect for the “young and brazen” Freedman to launch her career with a non-traditionally named business.
‘Something for everyone’
From the start, Freedman knew she wanted the store to be inclusive. “Broken English had to offer something for everyone,” she says. “When I say everyone, I mean everyone. We carry jewelry from $100 to $100,000 so that everyone who comes in can find something meaningful to them, within their price comfort zone and appropriate to their stage of life. That’s why I curate the jewelry the way I do.”
The Los Angeles native’s decision to open a store in New York in 2014 stemmed from her fascination with the latter city’s “diverse and eclectic” atmosphere, which she says made it feel like the “center of the world.” Its SoHo neighborhood was the only location she considered. “I probably opened the store before I was really ready — just like I did in LA,” she admits. “I didn’t understand failure.”
The product assortment in the New York and Los Angeles branches is the same. “I never think in terms of coasts or the people who live there. It’s all about curating,” Freedman asserts.
Distinctive designers
Broken English is known for bringing in new talent. “I select designers who I feel are at the forefront of what they do. I look for something that is really out there and wild or whimsical or vintage or antique or traditional,” says Freedman, who likes to represent “all the different eras. That’s always been my mission and always will be.”
Collaboration with designers is another factor in her success. “I work with them because they stand out and have the design aesthetic that makes them unique and special,” she says, pointing to a collaboration with New York-based brand Foundrae that’s set to launch this fall.
The pandemic hasn’t stopped Freedman from introducing new designers this quarter, either. Among them are Lisa Eisner — known for her eponymous high-end costume jewelry and the Tom Ford runway collections — and Eli Halili, an Israeli who creates distinctive designs in 24-karat gold.
Reacting to Covid-19
As with many others, Covid-19 has been a learning experience for Freedman. She had to close her store in Newport Beach, California, which had only been open for three years. But through a “combination of fate and luck,” she had already begun to enhance her website. Beginning last year, she started to push her online business and focus on refining the site’s content, voice and marketing. Describing herself as “somewhat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),” she was integrally involved in every aspect, including photography and styling.
During the shutdown, Broken English reached out through private sales. “We created a bespoke shopping experience,” she relates.
She is forging ahead with an already completed 2021 promotional and marketing calendar. “We know the lines we’re bringing in, determining deliveries and identifying the content we need to create. There are many variables, and obviously
a lot is up in the air, but I’m not taking anything off the table.”
In addition to expanding her online presence, Freedman plans to create a personal shopping department. “I’m training my staff and myself to think in terms of being personal shoppers in our approach to business. So if anything like this happens again, we can continue down this path.”
And as a personal goal, she wants to become a “better boss.”
Meanwhile, she says, “I’m incredibly hopeful. When I first opened, I threw caution to the wind and did it. Now, almost 15 years later, it has really raised me. There have been peaks and valleys and wins and losses, and hard times like a recession and a pandemic. Having experienced that through the lens of Broken English has made me more resilient. It has been my saving grace.”
brokenenglishjewelry.com
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - November 2020. To subscribe click here.