TORONTO’S BAYVIEW VILLAGE is not your typical mall. You won’t find teenagers texting in a food court or bargain hunters sifting through sale bins. You’re more likely to come upon Manolo Blahnik-clad women shopping at Pink Tartan and Vivian Shyu, lunching at Oliver & Bonacini, or picking up a gourmet dinner at Pusateri’s.
At this type of shopping centre, where most of the stores are upscale, it can be a challenge to stand out in the crowd. Yet, Berani Jewellery Design has managed to do just that with its unique brand of comfortable elegance. The store, owned and operated by husband and wife team Saro and Stefanie Der Haroutiunian, is contrary to many luxury retail stores where the intimidation factor is large. Berani invites the client in with a custom design that blends sophistication and warmth – not to mention salespeople who smile. “We know it can be intimidating when you first walk into a jewellery store, but we want to do things in a different way,” says Stefanie. “We want customers to get an inviting feeling when they walk into the store.”
Decked out in sumptuous materials – crystal, wood, marble. The store is the ultimate in luxury. “We wanted shoppers to be drawn into the store on a pathway of oversized marble slabs, under a floating ceiling with glowing edges,” says Stefanie. Yet, while the space is large at 3,000 sq. ft., it still gives the customer a feeling of intimacy with its dim lighting, hanging crystals and customized canopy chairs for one-on-one meetings.
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