Scott Carey and Carol Wagen are the husband and wife co-owners of Metal Art Studio, a well-known entity at the corner of Cherry and Diamond in East Hills (Center of the Universe).
For decades, they’ve been a presence in the district, bringing their signature designs and hand-selected jewelry pieces to shoppers with a distinctive eye for quality and style. We recently chatted with Carol to learn more about this artistic community destination.
You started your business in 1990. What was it like in those early years of building your business?
We always knew we would own our own company (I designed our logo and letterhead a year before we started). Scott had so many ideas and we didn’t have a way to promote them. We started by doing trade work (jewelry repair) for other stores to support ourselves, and Scott’s custom designs sold exclusively by word of mouth. We were a trade shop where people could get great custom jewelry designed and made, if they knew someone who knew someone. The repair work slowed our growth, but it also allowed us to bootstrap the retail part of our business as our vision grew.
How did you bring the storefront and studio to life?
We didn’t know we were going to be a jewelry store, we just knew we loved designing jewelry. Eventually it became obvious we needed to be a store and we opened a retail space in 2000. I don’t know how we survived because soon after opening, the street in front of us was torn up and remained under construction for almost a year.
You’ve been a fixture in East Hills since 2014. Why do you feel this neighborhood is a good fit for your shop?
We love being in East Hills. It’s a charming business district full of independent stores and restaurants on a brick street, so it has a creative feel, which suits us. We value being the anchor building of our neighborhood, and our parking lot makes it easy.
What’s a typical day like at Metal Art Studio? Who are your customers and what is happening behind the scenes?
Anyone who visits our store will notice we are a working studio with jewelers making new designs or repairing customers’ jewelry. Our jewelers are on the shop floor behind a sheer curtain and we make no attempt to hide the sounds of their tools or the smell of their torches.
Let’s talk about your craft. Who is designing and creating (or reimagining) the pieces you sell?
For the jewelry made in-house, it all used to be made by my husband Scott. As we’ve added jewelers, they contribute to the items in the cases. Sometimes the jewelers brainstorm ideas together, sometimes one jeweler has an idea and they work on it alone. Our jeweler Molly has been with us full time since 2014 when we moved to East Hills, and she has some of her work in our cases. Madeline is our newest jeweler, and she’s very busy working with customers on custom designs, as well as repair.
The collaboration that happens between the jewelers and their design process is so exciting. Another sound from the shop is their chairs rolling from bench to bench as they inspect something or share ideas on how to solve a problem. I have no idea what they will draw when we brainstorm with a customer. Each of them has such different ideas and I enjoy the surprise as much as our clients.
How do you curate your selection?
I love the collections we carry from other studio jewelers from around the world. I like to offer their creativity to my customers. When customers see case after case of jewelry they didn’t know existed, and ideas they never thought of, they finally find styles that truly represent their individuality. This will never get boring.
What pieces have you been most proud of or excited about over the years? What stands out?
Seriously, this is like asking me which child I’m most proud of. I treasure all our designs, but the most exciting part is when a customer connects with a design. The process is so magical. I’m addicted to guiding people to a piece that says so much more than they expected; the one that truly represents their esthetic, or their relationship, or their memories. And it reminds them of the most important things every time they put it on.
What else do you really want Revue readers to know?
We enjoy helping people find the perfect diamond, the perfect gem, the perfect piece, whether it’s in our case, or repairing something they have, or redesigning, or starting from scratch. When the jewelry comes back for a refinish, we’re flooded with memories of our experience together.
Metal Art Studio
978 Cherry Street SE, Grand Rapids
616-459-5075 | metalartstudioinc.com
