Meet Shop Emie
Meet Abbie Yermus & Emily Freeman, the cousin duo behind Shop Emie.
Launched during Summer 2020, the Toronto-based brand specializes in fine jewellery and custom design, exclusively crafted from precious metals and gemstones.
Following a made-to-order model and with the majority of Shop Emie’s pieces hand-crafted in Ontario by local master jewellers, Abbie and Emily’s mission is to offer a sustainable, high-quality alternative to the mass-produced jewellery that lines the shelves of many stores today.
“Our jewellery is sustainably sourced and ethically made in Canadian and Italian workshops that follow the highest standards of purity and ethics, ensuring that all craftspeople are paid fairly and equally. Our main goal with Shop Emie is to provide our customers with fine, luxury jewellery that is accessible while never wavering from our quality and ethical practices.”
With clients’ wishes at the forefront of their mind with every piece they create, Abbie and Emily provide a unique customization process that will ensure that each customer takes home a piece that will be treasured for a lifetime.
“We wanted to offer a customization process like no other e-commerce jewelry company where customers can design new jewellery, repurpose old jewellery, and make changes they want to the pieces we offer. Ultimately, our goal is to help customers build a collection of jewellery that will last and grow with them!”
What inspired the two of you to begin this jewellery business and what was involved in the process of launching it?
At the onset of Covid-19, we found ourselves at a time of our lives where we felt unsure of what was next for us. Ultimately, we decided to take this time into our own hands and start our own jewelry brand – something we had wanted to do for years. We are first cousins, love being creative, and have always had a shared passion for jewelry. Starting and building a jewelry brand was something we had always known we wanted to do, and this time in our lives just felt like the right one to take on this adventure. Launching it took a ton of designing, lots of learning and planning, and a huge commitment. It has been the most incredible journey and the most fulfilling and worthwhile work we have done, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future of our brand.
What inspired the name ‘Shop Emie’?
Shop Emie is simply a combination of our two names – Abbie and Emily – because our hearts and souls are at the centre of this business, and it was important to us that our name conveyed that message.
How do you source your jewellery?
While we source some of our pieces from Italian factories, the vast majority of our jewelry is designed and manufactured locally in our Toronto workshop. There are so many factors that go into the process of selecting pieces to bring in from Italy and manufacture in Toronto, but at the centre of it all is our customer. Every piece we create and sell is with our clients in mind.
What’s some great feedback you’ve received from happy customers?
We are so proud to say that we have a 0% return rate, which is incredible. We get so much pleasure from seeing our customers in our pieces, hearing how much they love the quality of our work and pieces, and that they feel amazing and beautiful in our pieces.
Is there anyone in particular who has inspired the two of you along this journey?
We have the pleasure of being mentored by other female small business owners who continue to inspire and motivate us throughout our journey. We also feel so fortunate to have an incredible support system of friends and family who root for us and the success of our business.
Future plans for Shop Emie?
Our hope has and always will be to continue to make jewelry that our clients will love and feel good in because we would not be where we are without our incredible clients.