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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]].
[[File:Luna logo.png|right|250px]]
'''Luna by Brio''' is a jewelry and fashion boutique founded in [[2017]] by [[Victoria Lester|Victoria]] and [[Mitch Lester]] with her oldest daughter, [[Melissa Lopez|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]].
Victoria had operated a market stall in her home city of Medellín, Columbia before moving to [[Birmingham]]. While Melissa was attending business school at [[UAB]], the Lesters began selling handmade jewelry and leathercrafts under the "Brio Bolso" name 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]]. The store was named for Lester's youngest daughter, Luna.


<!--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.
Soon the boutique expanded with Bohemian-style clothing and moved to a larger space facing the food court in April [[2019]]. A second location opened at [[The Summit]] in [[2020]].


They sell a lot of Bohemian-style clothing that is loose-fitting and flattering to all shapes, she said.
==References==
* Fanning, Andrea (February 2018) "[https://www.al.com/bhammag/2018/02/meet_the_mother-daughter_team.html Meet the mother-daughter team bringing Colombian influence to Birmingham fashion]." ''[[Birmingham (magazine)|Birmingham]]'' magazine
* Anderson, Jon (May 24, 2018) "[https://hooversun.com/businesses/%E2%80%98the-best-thing-we-could-have-done%E2%80%99522/ ‘The best thing we could have done’]" ''Hoover Sun''


Sales took off, and Galleria managers asked if they wanted a larger location. In April of this year, Luna by Brio moved three doors down into a 2,800-square-foot space formerly occupied by Harper Lane. It’s on the first floor of the Galleria near the food court, situated between Molly Green and Champs Sports, across from Michael Kors.
==External links==
 
* [https://lunabhm.com/ Luna by Brio] website
The new space has worked out great, Lopez said. They have a lot more room to spread out their merchandise in more appealing displays and now have six fitting rooms instead of one.
 
“Our customers have just been so excited for us,” Lopez said.
 
Best-sellers
 
Their top-selling items are the custom jewelry they make right there in the store. “We make jewelry every single day,” Lopez said. “Eighty percent of our jewelry is made here in house. We solder all the stones.”
 
They make only about three to six of the same-style jewelry pieces, she said. “I love it so everybody’s not wearing the same thing.”
 
Their second best-seller is the leather goods. They’ve added new items, such as backpacks, and can customize to meet their customers’ desires, Lopez said. They go to Colombia four times a year to buy the leather and make the goods either in their two-car garage basement or at the store, she said.
 
“It’s all handstitched and handcut,” she said. “And I love bringing that little bit of Colombian culture to Birmingham.”
 
Mike White, general manager of the Galleria, said it’s very unusual for the Galleria to have tenants who make their own merchandise right in the store. About 90 percent of tenants are national companies, and about 10 percent are locally-owned boutiques, he said.
 
Lopez said being around all the national chains has actually been a tremendous benefit for Luna by Brio. “It sets us apart,” she said.
 
And the custom work helps them build better connections with customers, Victoria Lester said. They like to know their customers’ names and try to treat everyone like family, she said. Because they come from different generations, they can relate to a variety of customers, she said. “It’s like you’re shopping with your girlfriends.”
 
Family business
 
It is very much a family business. Lopez and her mother are in the store almost every day, and her 21-year-old cousin, Manuela Molina, works there, too, and solders all the jewels. Her stepdad, while not in the store regularly because of his primary job, cuts the molds for the leather and helps out in many other ways.
 
The store is named after Lopez’s 13-year-old sister, Luna, who is a student at Berry Middle School, and they named the different handbag styles they make after members of the family as well.
 
Lopez said her mother provides a lot of vision and encouragement, while she keeps up with the latest fashion trends and helps build the business on social media. Lester said her daughter has a lot of fresh ideas and an open mind to try new things and is a perfectionist.
 
Lester said she has come a long way from her tiny store in Medellin and has loved opening this new store and expanding it.
 
“We are blessed,” she said. “I enjoy getting to work with my daughter and with my family. … Sometimes, I think it is a dream.”
 
Lopez, who glows when she talks about the store, said she is doing what she always wanted to do. “My whole life — it’s just been an obsession. I’m a collector of jewelry, and I love fashion,” she said. “Doing it with family makes it even better.”
 
White said Lopez and the Lesters have a really good business model. They have unique merchandise and a commitment to customer service, he said. “I could see them growing far past this property.”
 
Lopez said she could see that, too. In the next five years, she hopes they have a second store in Atlanta or maybe Tuscaloosa, she said.
 
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:Shops]]

Latest revision as of 16:25, 15 March 2021

Luna logo.png

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

Victoria had operated a market stall in her home city of Medellín, Columbia before moving to Birmingham. While Melissa was attending business school at UAB, the Lesters began selling handmade jewelry and leathercrafts under the "Brio Bolso" name 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. The store was named for Lester's youngest daughter, Luna.

Soon the boutique expanded with Bohemian-style clothing and moved to a larger space facing the food court in April 2019. A second location opened at The Summit in 2020.

References

External links

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