Luna by Brio: Difference between revisions

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'''Luna by Brio''' is a jewelry and fashion boutique founded in [[2017]] by [[Victoria Lester|Victoria]] and [[Mitch Lester]] with her daughter, [[Melissa Lopez|Melissa]].
'''Luna by Brio''' is a jewelry and fashion boutique founded in [[2017]] by [[Victoria Lester|Victoria]] and [[Mitch Lester]] with her daughter, [[Melissa Lopez|Melissa]].


<!--Victoria Lester opened a tiny boutique in the Colombian city of Medellin at the age of 19.
While Melissa was attending business school at [[UAB]], the Lesters began selling handmade jewelry and leathercrafts at art shows around [[Birmingham]] and other southern cities. They expanded with consignment sales at other boutiques and opened their own 700 square-foot store at the [[Riverchase Galleria]] in April [[2017]].


Now, about 30 years later, she is reliving that experience with her husband and 26-year-old daughter with a relatively new and expanding store at the Riverchase Galleria.
<!--They noticed a lot of their customers were women in their 20s and 30s, who often were accompanied by their mothers, so they decided to add clothing to their merchandise lineup and offer styles to fit both the young ladies and the “chic grandmas,” Lopez said.
 
Lester moved to the United States in the mid-1990s and came to the Birmingham area because of a cousin who was a Catholic priest here. Her daughter, Melissa Lopez, was 4 at the time and shared her mother’s eye for fashion.
 
Lopez was voted best dressed at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School and continued her love for fashion and jewelry when the family moved to Hoover. She graduated from Spain Park High School in 2010 and got her degree in merchandising from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Collat School of Business in 2016.
 
While she was in college, about five years ago, she and her mother and stepfather started a business called Brio. They made handcrafted jewelry and leather accessories such as wallets and cuffs, using leather from Colombia. Lopez’s stepfather, Mitch Lester, cuts the molds for the leather goods, and then she and her mom handstitch them.
 
They spent several years selling their goods in craft shows and artisan booths at places like Mt Laurel and the Moss Rock Festival at The Preserve and at markets in Atlanta and Chattanooga.
 
They also started selling their jewelry and leather items by consignment at a couple of boutiques in the Riverchase Galleria.
 
Taking a leap
 
The Brio items were selling so well that Lopez and Lester approached mall managers about starting their own store. So in April 2017, Lopez and her mom and stepdad opened a store called Luna by Brio in a 700-square-foot space between Starbucks and Von Maur.
 
“It was the best thing we could have done,” Lopez said. “It was very well-received.”
 
They noticed a lot of their customers were women in their 20s and 30s, who often were accompanied by their mothers, so they decided to add clothing to their merchandise lineup and offer styles to fit both the young ladies and the “chic grandmas,” Lopez said.


They sell a lot of Bohemian-style clothing that is loose-fitting and flattering to all shapes, she said.
They sell a lot of Bohemian-style clothing that is loose-fitting and flattering to all shapes, she said.
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In the meantime, she’s living her dream and feels like she’s fulfilling her mother’s dream at the same time, she said. “This is my baby. I love this.”-->
In the meantime, she’s living her dream and feels like she’s fulfilling her mother’s dream at the same time, she said. “This is my baby. I love this.”-->
[[Category:Shops]]
[[Category:2017 establishments]]
[[Category:Riverchase Galleria]]
[[Category:The Summit]]

Revision as of 17:44, 12 March 2021

Luna by Brio is a jewelry and fashion boutique founded in 2017 by Victoria and Mitch Lester with her daughter, Melissa.

While Melissa was attending business school at UAB, the Lesters began selling handmade jewelry and leathercrafts at art shows around Birmingham and other southern cities. They expanded with consignment sales at other boutiques and opened their own 700 square-foot store at the Riverchase Galleria in April 2017.

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