Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Miranda.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Nomadic Ant blends a love for unique jewelry and the owner’s passion for travel into a well-curated collection of handmade treasures. It’s a jewelry shop where every single piece in the rotating collection was collected, designed, or carried to the shop by the owner herself on her travels around the world. No major labels, few brands anyone has heard of, but all original handmade pieces by designers met on her travels or from markets in remote lands. This is the shop for people who appreciate true art in their jewelry, whether your taste is classic elegance or bohemian chic, the shop is a place where you can always find quality jewelry that every single one of your friends will covet. Oh, and we also have a DIY event space next door called Esquina you gotta check out!
Has it been a smooth road?
Nomadic Ant (named for my love of travel + a curiosity about ants) started out over 12 years ago selling a few handmade goods I brought back from travels in South East Asia. Think coconut bowls and bamboo chopsticks…which soon became wood and seed jewelry designs and made its way to what it is now, a higher-end silver, gold, and gemstone collection with every other material dropped in the mix along the way. I sold at markets in the city, street festivals, little trunk shows at bars. I loved the nomadic lifestyle and was able to work all summer and go away for the winter to search for new treasures and new designers and artists.
Two years ago I decided to open a retail space in Lincoln Square, close to where I live. The designs have changed over the years and we now carry collections from a really diverse group of designers and places – from Greece, Colombia, India, Bali, Thailand, Tanzania, Morocco and even Borneo! I love having the space and am lucky to have a very loyal following of customers who have shopped Nomadic Ant for over a decade, but it seems the trend is moving away from the brick and mortar shops and more toward online. I think the biggest struggle for a small business owner like me is that many people are so in tune with buying using their computer or phone that engaging with a new audience can seem difficult. So I’m always happy to spread the word and tell people about the shop. We love people and like getting to have that real interaction instead of just clicking items into an online cart.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Nomadic Ant – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
People keep coming back to us for the jewelry, but also for the stories that accompany each and every piece. It feels different to buy from someone who was directly involved with the artist than it does to buy from a shop that gets everything from big trade shows or imports without meeting the makers or having a real relationship with the companies they carry. We like to say we are a step beyond “fair-trade” because we are actually “direct-trade”. Most designers we work with are well-established in their own countries but may not have opportunities to show their work in new markets, like the United States, which is what we try to do: connect international designers with local audiences here.
Our collections are a mix of modern contemporary designs, ethnic jewelry, gemstones and fossils, and really classic things like pearls and diamonds. The difference is you will most likely be the only person with the pieces you purchase because we prefer limited, one-of-a-kind designs and collections that often aren’t repeated. We also host music events, like BYOVinyl every last Thursday (because I am also a vinyl junkie and huge music fan) and we try to get the community to come out and hang with us, socialize, learn about the places we like to visit as well as the jewelry we sell at the shop. Our new project is a DIY space next door called Esquina, “corner” in Spanish (esquinachicago.com) where we have hosted music, poetry slams, theater groups, travel talks, art openings, vintage markets, and mini pop-ups for local artists and designers.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The diversity of Chicago keeps me here, as well as all the great venues for music and the crazy amount of choice we have for food!!! I travel in my mind with every new meal I discover! As someone who is from this city, I feel sad watching the new construction and development happening all over and think that we are losing the Chicago identity and replacing it with corporate blandness. I wish we could preserve and build upon our amazing architecture instead of jumping so quickly to demolish buildings that could be creatively renovated instead of more characterless “luxury condos” going up everywhere. That’s my rant, but the positives continue to weigh out the negatives…well except for maybe winter, but that’s when I go into my nomadic mode and scramble toward the equator!
Pricing:
- Average cost for jewelry in shop $60
- Great gift items for 1o- 20 bucks like tiny silver posts, ear threaders, ear cuffs, stacking rings
Contact Info:
- Address: 4604 N. Western Avenue just a block south of the CTA brownline Western stop
- Website: www.nomadicant.com
- Phone: 7735126131
- Email: sales@nomadicant.com
- Instagram: nomadic_ant
- Facebook: @nomadicant
- Twitter: @nomadic_ant
- Other: esquinachicago.com
Image Credit:
All Photos by Suzanne Miranda
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
