Inspired Jewelers’ owners Michelle and Kevin Talley are hosting a Grand Opening weekend of their new retail store from noon-5:30 p.m. on both Saturday, Aug. 27 and Sunday, Aug. 28 at 555 Oppenheimer, Suite 204 in Los Alamos. The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the opening with a Ribbon Cutting at noon on Saturday, August 27.
Inspired Jewelers offers custom, handmade jewelry, repairs, alterations and ring sizing, free jewelry cleaning (polishing is extra), as well as wax carving and casting. In addition, they have an extensive inventory of one-of-a-kind jewelry, estate and vintage pieces, consigned work from award-winning Spanish Market artists Michelle Tapia and Gloria Vigil, as well as jewelry and paintings from Patricia Strout of StroutForge. Local consumers can also find gemstones, mineral and fossil specimens for sale at a variety of price points and will be able to participate in jewelry classes held at Inspired Jewelers in the future.
Michelle Talley has been a professional jeweler for more than 20 years and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Metals from the University of Arizona. She has worked as a jeweler in Santa Fe since 2000, where she learned how to repair and fabricate jewelry for both walk-in customers and galleries. In 2009 Michelle started working at Reflective Jewelry where she fine-tuned her skills of repair, fabrication, and jewelry design as well as wax carving, casting and computer-generated designs.
Inspired Jewelers started as a side gig, selling on Etsy for the past 10 years and exhibiting at events every year, including the Los Alamos Earth Treasure Show. Last fall, Michelle and Kevin completed a successful pop-up shop as part of Phase II of the Los Alamos Business Accelerator program hosted by Los Alamos MainStreet and the Chamber of Commerce.
“When we were accepted in the Business Accelerator program last year, we were cautiously optimistic it would develop into opening our own store,” said Kevin Talley. “Having the opportunity to participate in the Business Accelerator really showed us that there is a need for a shop like Inspired Jewelers here in Los Alamos.”
The Talleys, in fact, have deep roots in Los Alamos, with Michelle’s grandfather, Edward Wilder, part of the Manhattan Project and her aunt, Ellen Bradbury-Reid, married to Norris Bradbury’s son John. Bradbury-Reid was also an advisor on the Bradbury Science Museum and has worked closely with the Historical Museum.
Michelle added that her former employer has been encouraging of her entrepreneurial passions and transition to opening a Los Alamos storefront.
“I’m grateful that Reflective Jewelry owners Helen Chantler and Marc Choyt have been so supportive of my new adventure in opening a store and, instead of working together as employee and employer, we look forward to continuing to collaborate as two gallery owners,” she said. For more information about the Los Alamos Business Accelerator, which is accepting applications through August 2022, visit https://www.losalamosmainstreet.com/business-accelerator.
Ribbon cuttings are a benefit of being a Los Alamos Chamber Member. For more information about Chamber membership, visit losalamoschamber.com or contact Ryn Herrmann at ryn@losalamos.org or (505) 661-4807, or Sam McRae at sam@losalamos.org or (505) 661-4816.