joyarte jewelry couture Selected as Pop Up Shop Vendor for City Center OPEN Event in December 

joyarte jewelry couture announces their participation in San Antonio Center City’s OPEN Pop-Up Shop promotion happening this December.

“We are so excited to have been chosen for this program,” says Priscilla Martinez, Principle Designer and Owner of joyarte.

OPEN is an initiative of the City’s Center City Development Office and The Downtown Operations Department in co-operation with property owners and retailers to offer established business operators a no-cost short-term lease for the 2013 holiday season.

The Center City OPEN Pop-up shop represents the first opportunity for joyarte jewelry couture to create a physical space for retail selling, and the designers have gone overboard with ideas.

“We love the location,” says Kristine Jimenez, joyarte Director of Operations, of the Book Building storefront that will house them. “The surrounding businesses and the river on one side offer a nice draw to foot traffic. This would be a great location for a business full-time.”

With both designers having done stints in modeling (both are featured on the company’s website as models,) runway and camera experience emerges in their approach to the Center City OPEN pop up shop design.

“It was a site I had considered for an earlier business,” says Priscilla. “So it feels right to actually be in this space this week.”

“We wanted to create a space that reflected our design aesthetic as well as our company culture,” says Priscilla. The space will emphasize “recycle and re-use” in the fixtures and displays. “And because it’s December, we’ll integrate a wintery holiday theme.”

The designers at joyarte jewelry couture draw from backgrounds in modeling, dance, choreography, jewelry design, shoe design, floral design, and metal-smithing.

An award-winning designer, Priscilla brings the background in dance and jewelry, having started both prior to high school. She’s been a fixture in the San Antonio fashion arena, playing a key organizing role in San Antonio’s first Fashion Week in 2009.

Kristine first came to the business because of her passion for shoes. “I wanted so much to design shoes, I flew to Italy and knocked on the door of a high-fashion shoe designer/maker and asked him to teach me.” That fearlessness translates into exciting design ideas, such as the popular Mechanista collection.

“Kristine and I balance each other,” says Priscilla. “One of us is always “on,” which keeps us both energized. When both of us are “on,” watch out! Amazing things happen!”

“We’ll host a number of daily events during our ‘week-long residence’,” says Kristine. “Demonstrations, in-store specials, and non-profit giving opportunities—our goal is to make the week exciting for customers and of course show off the space and its potential.”

joyarte jewelry couture is scheduled to be at the Book Building, 140 E. Houston Street, San Antonio the week of December 16. They are confirmed for Tuesday Dec 17 and Saturday Dec 21, and are negotiating with the organizers for additional time.