We chose the name Phoenix for three reasons. First, one of the synonyms for the word phoenix is jewel. Being a jewelry store we certainly love our jewels! Second, several of our team worked in this same space for the previous store that was here for many years. The owners of that store retired, making space for our new bird to rise. And third, we are a trio of friends who were brought together by tragedy, thus the powerful imagery for us of a Phoenix rising from the ashes.

Our vision for The Phoenix might be likened to an old folktale known as Stone Soup, a parable about the value of community members sharing resources. The story was set in a time of famine. No one had enough food to feed their own household, let alone share it with the weary travelers passing through. Some clever travelers set to boil a pot of stones, pretending to be preparing a meal. Soon they had enticed one household to give up their last onion, another their last potato, another their last carrot, and so on. Before they knew it, the villagers had sacrificed the last of all they had. In exchange, there was a delicious pot of soup large enough to feed the entire village with leftovers to spare. The moral of the story is that when a community works together, everyone receives.

When we began this journey, we imagined not one, but many designers contributing to the creativity of this space. Not only did we want to pull in the unique and often one-of-a-kind pieces from our favorite stateside designers we already knew and loved; we wanted to open our shelves to create a communal space for the artists and jewelers of our own island home. Like stone soup, we envisioned a space where everyone had an opportunity to bring something to the table and receive in kind. In consequence, we have a flavorful melting pot of jewelry and artwork that we get to share with our community, near and far.