Today we’d like to introduce you to Eileen Carino
Hi Eileen , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My daughter, Lillian Damian, started making jewelry at the age of 8. Years later, my sister, Erin Salinas, ordered 8 tennis inspired earring, bracelet and necklace set to gift her tennis team and the response was overwhelming. Under my sisters direction, Lillian started her jewelry business, Bead and Hooks, and sold her line at the Sugar Creek Country Club tennis shop. I wanted to find a way to grow her business and came across a new retail business space called Painted Tree. This retail concept allows entrepreneurs to open a shop with minimal overhead. This gave us the perfect opportunity to open a business while working our 9-5 job. To fill in space and offer a variety of products, I combined selling her jewelry along with other clothing and accessories purchased through various vendors. My sister and I were the perfect fit to begin this venture since I have a background in retail management and she excels in Marketing and networking. This partnership was the birth of Crystal Rose Noelle (the middle names of my sister, me and my brother).
Business- Crystal Rose Noelle
Product- Clothing, Accessories, Gifts and select jewelry by Bead and Hooks
Owners- Eileen Carino and Erin Salinas (sisters)
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We have only been in business for 8 months and are still learning the ropes. I’m testing new vendors to gauge quality while staying at a competitive price point. My sister and I are limited in financial resources, so ensuring we have the right product mix and size run is important. Overspending and aging inventory is not an option. My sister is also quite conservative when in comes to taking business risks. I had to prove that we can make 3x the rent for at least 6 months before we could expand. Fortunately, our efforts paid off and this past week we celebrated our shop expansion re-opening.
The hardest struggle was after 2 months of opening, our father was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. We had to juggle our full time jobs, business, raising children and caring for my father all at the same time. When he passed in March, we were not in the emotional mind set to run or care for a business, but knew that we had to persevere for our father. He never wanted to be a burden on his family and did not want his sickness to change our path. We were blessed that he was able to see our shop open before he died.
We’ve been impressed with Crystal Rose Noelle, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a women’s retailer and sell moderately priced clothing and accessories targeting 30-60 years of age. I buy a small size run and will not repeat a style once it sells out. Since Sugar Land is a small city and we tend to have repeat customers who know each other, we try to keep our inventory fresh and new. We strive to offer products that are easy to care for and moderately price (items range from $4-$60). Our favorite brand of course is the jewelry brand Bead and Hooks made by my daughter.
What’s next?
We hope to expand our offerings and one day carry men’s and children’s clothing. For the fall line, we plan to use 1/4 of our shop to test men’s clothing and in Spring ’25 we will test girl’s (kids) clothing. We will expand any of these collections if they test well.
Pricing:
- Jewelry- $6-$25
- Small Accessories- $10-$24
- Hair Accessories- $4-$10
- Clothing- $24-$60
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.crystalrosenoelle.com
- Instagram: @crystal.rose.noelle
- Facebook: @Crystal Rose Noelle
- Other: @crystalrosenoelle
Image Credits
Photos taken by Hazel Javillonar and Isaiah Salinas.
