Jewelers and business partners Clayton King and Jeffery Schwalk used to run a web-based jewelry business when they both lived in Texas. Then Jeffery, also an executive with a large company, got transferred to Columbia. Once here, the men wanted to continue their business but in a bigger way, so they undertook the mammoth task of renovating a 1930s-era building at 1217 Bull Street.
King said he believes the brick-and-mortar approach is the way to go. “With the products we sell, people like to see them first-hand and touch them. Nothing we sell is name-brand, so you couldn’t view it online and then go to a big box store and compare it,” he said.
“The other thing we found is that when you only have an online store, you’re literally competing with the whole world. With a brick-and-mortar store, you narrow your competition to other local businesses, plus we get the benefit of people coming in.”
Today in addition to jewelry, Artizan also sells art representing a colorful and diverse gathering of local and national artists and artisans. In addition to more traditional mediums like oil and watercolor, other exciting offerings are found in textiles, glass and pottery. And then there are the blended pieces where art and function meet in the form of sterling chainmail and wire-wrapped jewelry. These pieces are both wearable jewelry and collector’s pieces for the discerning customer. Artizan is an importer and seller of many varieties of pearls, including cultured freshwater, cultured saltwater (Akoya), South Seas and Tahitian.
“The most important thing people should know about us is that we offer handmade, local art and jewelry in a variety of price points so that anybody can walk in here and find something they love and have it within their price range.”
Artizan
Clayton King – 512-750-8108 or
cpking@artizansc.com