This article appeared in the Naples Daily News and the Marconews.com on February 21 and 22, 2010:

NAPLES — Call it serendipity. Or a sign of faith. Or, even, a simple twist of fate.

Michael Endelman couldn’t sell his Hammock Bay condominium, so instead of launching a new jewelry line up North, he established a virtual office in Naples. Kids Gold Jewelry Source has been an online store since Jan. 22.

At a time when national jewelry chain stores are in trouble — on Feb. 9 Zale Corp. retained Peter J. Solomon Co. to help maximize and diversify its investments — local businessmen have discovered that the twists of fate wind more deeply than one can imagine, and bigger is not better.

For several decades, Endelman, 59, had a jewelry design and manufacturing business up North, specializing in fine children’s jewelry. It was called Baby Gold.

His business grew nationally and he sold to a wide range of national retailers including Bailey, Banks & Biddle; Macy’s, Littmans Jewelers; and even Kmart. He also sold to privately owned stores.

One of his long-time customers was Eric Braha, 57, who owned Freeman’s Kids, a children’s clothing store in Ramsey, N.J. Baby Gold was a big seller in Braha’s store.

But Endelman and Braha had never met.

Endelman remembers Braha as a good customer who always paid his bills on time. Braha remembers Endelman as selling a solid marketable product.

Several years ago, Braha sold the store and moved his family to Arizona.

Endelman got divorced, met someone new, and was vacationing with her in Scottsdale. Turns out Braha’s wife knew Endelman’s new girlfriend. So the two businessmen met over a social dinner before they realized they’d been doing business for decades.

It was about six months after that, on a return trip to Scottsdale, that the two started discussing an Internet-based jewelry business.

It took a year to pull together, but KidsGoldJewelrySource.com is up and running.

Their customers: mothers, grandmas, aunts, fathers, uncles and friends all looking to buy baby’s first gift and beyond. That’s a huge range of celebrations including baptism, first holy communion, Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzah and, of course, birthdays and holidays.

Endelman handles sales; Braha undertook fulfillment.

Another Naples resident got pulled into the business with Endelman and Braha.

Last Yom Kippur, Endelman swung by Beth Tikvah of Naples. He found himself sitting next to Jo Frank Goodman, who lives near the beach in Old Naples.

“I was sitting in shul on Yom Kippur. Her family was in the diamond business. We didn’t want to invest in a real (expensive diamond) inventory,” Endelman said. “Next thing I know I have this girl on the Web site with me.”

Her contribution to the site is Diamond Door Diamonds, with four generations of Leo Franks & Sons of Troy, Mich., behind her.

“Now that the Internet is an accepted retail environment, I am confident that our new venture, Kids Gold Jewelry Source, will be a success because buying from our online store will be easy, saving you time and money,” Endelman said.

Braha said he’s delighted to be working with Endelman again.

The new company’s one-stop destination for packaged classic 14-karat gold children’s jewelry will “put a big smile on the faces of our customers when they first open the package they bought from us,” Braha said.

Tags: children's bracelets, children's jewelry, genuine birthstone, Kids jewelry, necklaces, religious jewelry for kids, rings

This entry was posted on Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 5:35 pm and is filed under Children's 14k Gold Jewelry, Children's Genuine Birthstone Jewelry, Kids Gold Jewelry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.