We recently connected with Weston Gray and have shared our conversation below.

Weston, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I started my creative journey with jewelry design in 2003, eventually evolving to include learning the art of metalsmithing just before my wife and I learned that she was carrying our first child. We knew we wanted unique and special names for our children and we were also leaning towards a biblical name, but not a traditional one. My wife came across a verse in the book of Genesis that speaks of a land close to the garden of eden and one of the things that was notable about the land was that onyx stone was found there, she thought onyx must be of some importance to get such an honorable mention. Add this to the fact that I was newly pursuing the title of metalsmith and that my favorite color is black and it couldn’t have been a more perfect name. When we learned that we were having a second child, and a girl, we immediately knew that we wanted to name her Opal! Shortly after the birth of our second child we were given the opportunity to open our very own Lifestyle shop, and of course we already had the perfect name picked out: Onyx & Opal Lifestyle Shop and Creative Cowork.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Weston Gray and I am living the dream every single day! What that means to me is the I have been blessed with the opportunity to have my own business which allows me to have the ability to spend as much time with my family as possible. My beautiful wife, Ashley, (who is also my best friend), and my two little girls, Onyx and Opal, are my world and enjoying life with them is my top priority. Being my own boss also allows me to lead and do business with the values that I believe are important.

I started out many years ago making costume jewelry to cheer up my then girlfriend, now wife. At that time I was also transitioning from a retail sales associate to a specialist in retail merchandising and management. I kept pursuing both of these things and in time both grew, and are still growing. Today, I design and make my own line of costume jewelry and handmade silver jewelry which I offer for sale in our two brick and mortar lifestyle shops that are named after our children. At Onyx & Opal Lifestyle Shop and Creative Cowork we offer a curated selection of apparel and accessories that are unique to our area, as well as a cool space for local creatives to work and network and for our community to host events. Along the way I have learned that my merchandising skills do not stop with retail, but are useful in so many ways. I also work as an Event Stylist curating extravagant events for all the important milestones in life. I offer full floral services including fresh floral, but I specialize in dried florals both as bouquets and event arrangements but also as large permanent installations in my clients’ homes and businesses.

I think what sets me apart from others is my attention to detail, it really is a gift I was given and cannot be taught. But I think the most important things that set me apart are my values and importance of integrity. If I were asked what I was most proud of, I would day that I am most proud of my family. The main thing I want my potential clients to know is that whatever I do for them, I do it as I would if I were doing it for myself, meaning that I will treat you how I would want to be treated and work for you with the same care as if it were being done for me and my family. No matter if I am styling your event or you are shopping in my store, whatever our interaction may be, I want you to have a great experience, to walk away with something more than you came with (and I don’t just mean products and services) I want you to walk away feeling encouraged and blessed.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Creating a vision based off of a client’s needs and wants and bringing that vision to life is, for me, the most rewarding part of what I do. Seeing my client’s reaction to what was brought to life brings me joy, whether it be for their event or even just the people who walk through the doors of one of our shops and are wowed by the vibe and aesthetic that has been built. It feels good to create something that can be enjoyed and appreciated by others.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the biggest “pivots” in my life was walking away from a 10+ year career in retail management to becoming a small business owner. I had, honestly, gotten to a place where, for numerous reasons, I was just not going to be happy continuing to work for anyone other than myself. In addition to my full time job I was already working as an Event Stylist and making and selling my jewelry. Frankly, I was tired of working so hard for another corporation where I was completely expendable, if I was going to work that hard I wanted it to be for myself. Not to mention that my views and values were always at war with the industry I was in and with corporate America itself. Soon after I decided that I knew I needed a change I was presented with an opportunity to make my own way. Even though the thought of taking a very small amount of money and creating an idea that was some what innovative for the area we live seemed risky, we never questioned that we were on the right path. One year later and things still feel risky sometimes, but we are right were we want to be and, at least for now, right were we are supposed to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.onyxandopalshop.com
• Instagram: @thewestongray @onyxandopalshop @westongraystyles
• Facebook: Weston Gray Onyx & Opal

Image Credits
Natalie Wippler Dakota Argo