Jewelry designer Brandy Thomason McNair started Bella Vita Jewelry 13 years ago. This fall the small business will expand its Little Rock shop into an adjacent loft, which will contribute 1,200 more square feet to the storefront at 108 W. Sixth St. This means that most of the jewelry production can move off the sales floor, freeing up space for Bella Vita to increase its inventory of apparel, local art, home décor, crystals, and even fair trade items for pets. “I’ve wanted to branch out into more ethically sourced, ‘slow fashion’ apparel items, which this will allow me to do,” Brandy says.
In addition to increased inventory, Brandy looks forward to hosting more events and workshops in the new studio. Further down the line, she even plans to dedicate part of the space to an antique button museum featuring her collection of hundreds of buttons “This will probably take a couple of years to develop and execute, but it’s a passion project I’m determined to see to fruition.”
According to a recent post on Bella Vita’s Instagram, the store will be open normal hours through Sept. 4, then closed Sept. 5-9 for staff to rearrange the shop floor and studio. Studio tours will be available Fridays and Saturdays after a grand reopening on Sept. 10. Follow along on Instagram (@bellavitajewelry) for updates.
Images courtesy of Bella Vita Jewelry. A version of this story originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of At Home in Arkansas.
