Jewelry boutique Newb's moves to downtown Holland

Deborah Johnson Wood

After getting a taste of retailing by selling items on eBay and at home parties, Amy Van Den Brink says she was ready to take a brick-and-mortar leap when she opened her boutique jewelry store at the Holland Town Center on James Street with her mother and co-owner, Doris Vanden Bosch.

Van Den Brink says she now knows it was the right move for their business Newb's (pronounced Newby's). With its initial success, they just relocated their business last month in a 2,200-square-foot storefront at 182 S. River Ave. in downtown Holland.

Newb's is an acronym for necklaces, earrings, watches and bracelets. The shop specializes in jewelry for women, girls and boys.

"We offer lots of different brands of jewelry, all styles for all ages from children to elderly women," Van Den Brink says. "Jewelry is such a personal thing; we want to carry a lot of styles. We even have bracelets, kaleidoscope necklaces and dinosaur necklaces for boys."

In recent months, the boutique expanded its product lines to offer women's fashions and accessories for women and girls.

The shop offers Pandora-style beads, sterling silver and brands that include 3 Sisters Clothing, Treska Fashion Accessories and Big Buddha handbags. Van Den Brink says some customers come in because of the selection of clip-on earrings, which are hard to find.

"Before we started the store, I was putting together women's entire wardrobes and selling them on eBay," Van Den Brink says. "I purchased lots of accessories and ended up with lots of extras, so I thought I'd sell those at home and use Craig's List."

She had so many women coming to her house that her mom suggested doing home parties, which became so popular the two women needed to open a store.

"We're just really thankful that we've had this opportunity to be able to grow like this," Van Den Brink says. "We have really loyal customers and everyone is so positive when they come into the store. It's really overwhelming."

Source: Amy Van Den Brink, Newb's

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].