Brooklyn's Progress
June/July 2007

BY MELISSA CHAPMAN

Growing up, Felicia Gray always found pleasure in expressing her artistic talents through dance, crafts, music and photography.  A trip to Japan in 2000 finally propelled Ms. Gray to pursue her knack for creativity that eventually led her to form her own company, haru™.  Since 2004, haru (the Japanese term for spring) specializes in creating eclectic jewelry for the contemporary woman, using precious and semi-precious stones, and vintage glass with sterling silver accents.

"This venture didn't start as a business idea; it was simply an expression of my creativity and personal style," Ms. Gray explained.

In fact, while pursuing a career in international marketing, Ms. Gray started to create designs for herself that drew praises not only from family and friends, but strangers in the street, as well.
 
Now three years later, the haru™ fan club has grown to include Essence magazine’s Editorial Director, Susan Taylor and Time Inc. CEO, Ann Moore.  The pieces have already graced the pages of InStyle magazine and also were commissioned by Black Enterprise magazine for their Women of Power Summit earlier this year.

haru™ at BKLYN DESIGNS
In January, Ms. Gray’s Vice President of Business Development, Lynda Gray (who’s also her mother) convinced her to join the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce to take advantage of its numerous promotional opportunities.  Only a few months after joining the Chamber, the opportunity to display the haru™ collection at a major design show presented itself – at the Chamber’s annual furnishings design show, BKLYN DESIGNS™, that celebrated its fifth anniversary this year (see cover story).

While the retail aspect of the business is done primarily over the Internet, the designing process takes place in Ms. Gray’s Brooklyn Heights home. She predicts that in two to five years, she also will be displaying her designs in a studio space.

“I really like having one-on-one conversations with my clients and that kind of environment would enable them to really experience the product,” said Ms. Gray.

The haru™ 2007 spring collection made its debut in late March; prices range between $45 and $500.  To view haru™ designs, visit the Web site at http://www.harujewelry.com/.  Ms. Gray may be contacted at 646-391-4877, or at info@harujewelry.com for custom order requests.