Homegrown Silver and Stone
- charismachatt
- Jul 1, 2015
- 3 min read
Posted by: Victoria Tropiano// Randi Vasquez Photography
"It was a totally completely random idea that happened in five days."
This was Taqqiya Ronco's response to how Homegrown Silver and Stone Jewelry, Accessories, & Gifts came about. Shop owner, Taqqiya, is previously from Maine and originally began her career in the fashion industry. She switched to jewelry because she thought "it would be fun." Guess how she learned to make jewelry? YouTube.
So Taqqiya had an idea, brought it to life, taught herself via YouTube, started an Etsy shop, and opened up Homegrown Silver and Stone two years ago right here on Frazier Avenue that features all locally, handmade jewelry, accessories, and gifts.
*Cue the impressed and inspired handclaps. #WomenPower #Yonce
I'll be honest, I'm so thankful [along with plenty other happy shoppers] that she brought her idea to life. Every time I walk into Homegrown, it does not disappoint. You can't help but appreciate their passion to make sure everything in the store is local. Even down to the fixture.
"Why not keep things local? Keep everything as local and community based as you can. It keeps it a home," Erika Ferrell, shop manager said.
The items in the store are half local Tennessee artists and half in-house jewelry. Yes, that's right; they have an in-house studio and even take custom orders."Our in-house line is extremely customizable. We can do custom stamping and custom wedding gifts."
With it being wedding season, I couldn't think of a more perfect place to buy bridesmaids' gifts. "Brides can come to the build-your-own charm station and make a personalized gift for each one of their maids."
The lariat necklaces were personally my favorite. To me, they're so unique because the ends just rope together.
Needing stackable rings? Look no further. They have a wide variety where you can create your own bundle. They range from $5 - $30. If you don't want to play around and get creative, then don't worry, they have pre-made bundles.
Their jewelry is sterling silver and gold filled instead of gold plated. Meaning, it won't fade or tarnish (unlike your Forever21 jewelry...).
So Homegrown Silver and Stone is all about being local, natural, handmade, and maintaining affordability with high quality. But there is something else that was so neat. Erika mentioned, "I'm always on the lookout for new trends. At the end of the night I ask the employees for the trend of the day. As in, what sold the most or what customers asked for the most."
Homegrown stands out from other shops in Chattanooga for being completely local, but also because everyone who works there cares about each individual customer. They listen to what the customer is looking for and strive to make their idea come to life, just like Taqqiya did when she started the shop.
"People were asking for pocketknife necklaces. So we brought them to Homegrown."
You tell them, and they listen.
If you haven't checked out Homegrown Silver and Stone yet, you need to finish reading these last few sentences and then head over! Sorry if we're the reason you leave the shop broke. At least you can rest assure that you've seriously improved your accessories while supporting the community!
What type of jewelry would you like to see at Homegrown Silver and Stone?
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