We recently connected with Brenlyn Flaherty and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brenlyn , thanks for joining us today. Quality control is a challenge almost every entrepreneur has had to focus on when growing – any advice, stories or insight around how to best ensure quality is maintained as your business scales?

It has always been extremely important to us to maintain the highest quality in our product, as well as customer experience. As we grow, we train new employees one-on-one, so that they are learning directly from the owners and can provide the high quality experience and products that we would ourselves. We hold regular trainings with our entire staff to go over the basics of silversmithing, as well as any new issues that require troubleshooting. We have a system to check off new product made by our staff, to ensure that their skills are continuing to improve and all the product that leaves our shop is up to par. We keep our class sizes fairly small and the environment relaxed and intimate, so that our customers receive one-on-one assistance from our staff and can create a high quality product they’ll cherish forever. We’ve seen the positive effects of these quality controls as loyal customers have returned to the workshop again and again, bringing more family and friends.

Brenlyn , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Gem Addict Workshop is a mother-daughter owned silversmithing studio, where customers can come learn to handcraft their own sterling silver jewelry from scratch. In 2018, soon after graduating high school, I fell in love with silversmithing and the idea of sharing that craft with others. After months of hearing me talk about silversmithing and the potential of the business idea, my mom, Jenn, proposed we take the leap and start it together! We began teaching small classes in our garage in early 2019. For the first 2 years, it was just the two of us teaching every workshop, until decided to bring on some more staff. We did so slowly, choosing our new team members with care so we could ensure they would be able to provide the positive, high quality experience that we would ourselves. We are now team of 10, and opened our new storefront in August 2024, where we teach daily classes and sell our jewelry.

We are most proud of the silversmithing workshop experience we get to provide our customers. In our classes, each customer gets to choose their gemstone from hundreds of options, design and customize each piece of their jewelry from the setting to the band, then handcraft it from scratch with the step-by-step guidance of our instructors. We keep our classes fairly small so that customers receive one-on-one instruction and are able to actually create their jewelry themselves. They get to cut, solder, and polish every part of their jewelry, no experience required!

Our most popular product is rings, but we also make necklaces, cuff bracelets, earrings, bolo ties, and more. All of our jewelry is handcrafted from scratch, with .925 sterling silver and gemstones sourced from vendors from all around the world. Each piece of jewelry is completely unique and one-of-one, perfect for those who prefer individuality and sustainability over the mass-produced jewelry of fast fashion.

From the very beginning of our business, it’s always been important to us to create genuine connections with our customers. We are very intentional about curating a good environment in our workshop. We want our customers to leave the workshop feeling like they gained new friends in addition to their new jewelry! Our workshop is always full of music, chatter, and laughter, and has an intimate, small business feeling that you cant find just anywhere. It’s the perfect activity for friend groups, couples, or families who want to spend a few hours together getting their hands dirty, learning a new skill, and creating beautiful high quality jewelry as well as a fun memory to cherish forever.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think that keeping a priority of quality control and positive customer experience has helped us build our reputation within our market. We have a loyal customer base and many repeat customers. We have had customers tell us how amazing and knowledgable our staff was, how pleased they were with how well their jewelry turned out, and how much fun the overall experience of the class was. I believe these things have strengthened our reputation and helped us grow as a business.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

We’ve found that social media and word of mouth have been the best source of customers for us. We are active on Instagram and Tiktok and have many customers shop online or book workshops after seeing a post. Of all the customers than come in for workshops, most hear from us from a friend, family member, coworker, etc. We have even had customers who heard from us because their waitress or barista was wearing a ring they made with us, and they told them about us!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gemaddictworkshop.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gemaddictworkshop