We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicole Ehrbar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nicole, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
I had been working in PR for the past 20+ years and for the latter part had the privilege of working with two global jewelry houses, both of which had beautiful home collections and sparked the interest to eventually transition into home. At the same time, I was looking for an opportunity where I could exert more of my entrepreneurial spirit.
I had explored a number of directions and decided to go in the direction of retail because I wanted to partake in bringing some of the magic back to NYC post-pandemic and also work with local and global artisans. The small business landscape is what makes up the soul of a city and so many had sadly closed. and once I decided to move in that direction, I did a lot of research and also took online classes in area where I felt I needed to increase my knowledge. I also connected with various shop owners to better understand the day to day, challenges and opportunities.
I created a blueprint of everything I needed to start a business and then tailored it to my specific category. It’s incredible how many resources are available on line.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
The Grey Pearl is a NYC based brick and mortar shop focusing on home decor, tabletop, entertaining essentials, pantry items and gift giving needs.
I always looking for tabletop and objects that made my house feel like a home, preferably handmade pieces from local artists. I love entertaining and gathering with friends. There are a number of excellent home stores in New York City but I could never quite find what I was looking for.
I also believe that our environment and the objects we surround ourselves with have the power to enhance our well being and general day to day, turning those mundane moments into something more meaningful. We sell things that bring joy, whether it’s a beautifully crafted object, an essential entertaining item, or the perfect gift for a loved one.
We focus on collections that are both beautifully designed and functional, pieces that are meant to be lived with everyday. Many of the collections we carry are handmade and we source our products from diverse and trusted creators and suppliers who share our values and work to minimize our environmental impact by avoiding any single use products and recycling materials.
The Grey Pearl regularly evolves the assortment and seasonally offers an experiential retail experience through pop-ups, trunk shows and collaborations.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
It’s not necessarily a lesson I had to unlearn but I did have to shift my mindset after pivoting from a corporate job with a very talented team, resources and organizational structure to working on my own with a limited resources. I’m now responsibility for every facet of the business and I’ve had to be vigilant with managing and prioritizing my schedule and my energy. It’s also been a big lesson in making progress rather than focusing on perfection.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
There are incredible resources available for little or no cost and I’ve utilized a number of them from online courses and books to podcasts and social media. I love a good podcast because I can listen to them whenever and wherever and I find them useful, inspirational and entertaining. My current favorites are The Tim Ferris Show, How I Built This and My Daily Business Coach.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thegreypearl.com
- Instagram: @thegreypearl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Grey-Pearl/100083070983771/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleehrbar