Holly's Trunk Show Tour Recap! - Dune Jewelry

Loving our Trunk Show Partners & Dunies SO much. Thank you Florida!

My second annual Florida trunk show tour ended last week and the one word that comes to mind every time I think about it is, GRATEFUL….okay, and FUN – that’s two words.

I flew from Boston to Orlando on jetBlue which is one of my favorite airlines and was picked up by my friend (and Florida sales rep) Moira. We headed to dinner with her husband Jay at a restaurant in Clermont called Root and Branch. I’m including a link to their establishment because it’s a brand-new restaurant and I love to support new entrepreneurs, plus it was delish! Check it out if you’re ever in the area.

Big Bamboo – New Smyrna Beach

Our first trunk show was the next day at Big Bamboo in New Smyrna Beach. I was really happy to see the variety of Dune that they carry and even happier to hang out with their sales team who are all so knowledgeable and friendly. I had two big surprises at this show. One was a longstanding customer that I’ve messaged with for years, but never could put a face to the name, and the other was the Mom of a childhood friend from Cape Cod who popped by to say hello and congratulate me on Dune’s success. Thank you for making my day Patty and Rebecca! Patty’s 8-year-old grandson was ALL about jewelry and clothing design so I jumped at the chance to show him my caliper and how he can easily sketch designs that can be brought to life. This is a kid we should keep our eyes on!

Walk on Water – Lake Mary

After Big Bamboo, we headed down to a boutique called Walk on Water in Lake Mary. This was my first time in this store and it blew me away on so many levels. The owner Roxanne and her team were all so friendly, fun and positive. When I arrived, they had the most beautiful table set-up with a fancy chair and balloons! Simply put, they made me feel really special. The customers we met there were newer to Dune and loved the concept. Once the show was over, Mary, Moira and I went on a little shopping spree before heading back to Root & Branch (yes, again) for dinner with our favorite PR guru Carole Imperiale.

Buffy’s Paradise Salon – Fort Myers

The next day, we road tripped to Ft. Myers and settled in to our Airbnb, then headed over to Buffy’s Paradise Salon for an amazing night of fun, food, pampering and absolutely inspiring women. This show was so much fun as we got to know Buffy and her extended family. We already knew that Buffy’s daughter Kaydi Archer is an amazing woman, but what we didn’t realize was that Buffy has an entire tribe of inspiring women surrounding her and it’s safe to say that each one of them is remarkable in her own way. Buffy’s display was on point! It looked fabulous and her clientele came early and stayed late. Exactly what we like!

Suncatchers’ Dream – Sanibel Island

Next up was our show at Suncatchers’ Dream on Sanibel Island. For those of you who’ve never been to Sanibel, I think the best word to describe it is, idyllic. The setting is so storybook beautiful, I’m always grateful just to spend some time there. That, mixed with the most passionate team of salespeople really made it a day to remember. The show was super busy with new and existing Dune customers who loved our new gradient technique using Sanibel sand and crushed turquoise. Afterwards, we had a quick lunch at Doc Fords and made our way back to the Hippie Hideaway. This was the name of our Airbnb, but that’s a whole extra blog entry for another time.

Hipnotique – Punta Gorda

Onward to Punta Gorda for St. Patty’s Day, where I was so excited to meet Debi from Hipnotique. She’s been a fabulous Dune partner for YEARS and this was our first-time meeting. Debi and her team didn’t disappoint! They were serving mimosas and brunchie snacks when we arrived and they had an entire wall dedicated to Dune. All of the customers that popped in were absolutely in love with Debi and her store and the majority were already familiar with Dune. At one point there was a woman who fell in love with my 7-sand rope ring and bought it right off my finger. It had sand from Positano, Costa Rica, the Sahara, Nantucket, Key West, turquoise and mother-of-pearl. I have to say, she made a good choice. We wrapped up the day at a friend’s restaurant down the street where I tried escargot for the first time. It tasted pretty good in the moment, but now thinking back, the idea to eat a snail may have been fueled by the mimosas.

Blue Mangrove Gallery – Marco Island

Last, but definitely not least, we made our way to Blue Mangrove Gallery on Marco Island. Again, all of these boutiques are Dune premium retailers and there’s a reason for that…they’re STUNNING! Blue Mangrove’s new owner Mike, was very welcoming and I loved seeing that the girls from last year were still there. Tammy and Shirley are truly Dune connoisseurs and so are their customers. I was surprised, happy and grateful to see so many familiar faces from last year. Again, this is a store where the clientele loves travel, adventure, fun, family and of course, beach time so it was a pleasure talking to them and hearing their stories. It was a fantastic way to wrap up the tour.

In hindsight, I have to say this felt like one of our best trunk show tours to date. There was an extraordinary amount of positivity surrounding Dune and I felt a deep connection to not only the team of retailers, but also our customers. It’s remarkable to hear people’s stories and why Dune is meaningful to them. I’m thankful.

With Love & Sandy Hands,

Holly Daniels Christensen