California-based jewelry company opens location at UTC mall

Sarasota resident Jacqueline Dinatale called the jewelry at Gorjana, which opened a location at University Town Center July 1, trendy and affordable. 

“The jewelry makes me feel happy, completes my outfit and provides a finishing touch,” Dinatale said. 

Dinatale works at the mall at Evereve and was shopping at the new jewelry store July 9 in search of rings and necklaces. She already had purchase a charm necklace on a previous visit. 

“I picked fun charms — J for my name, a bow that is cute and a seashell for summertime,” Dinatale said. 

“We are leaning into the charms because they have just taken off on social media, they're so cute,” said Taylor Lingreen, the store manager. “We offer so many charms you can just customize it.” 

Photo by Madison Bierl

Gorjana is a California-based company that originated in Laguna Beach in 2004. It is owned and operated by Jason and Gorjana Reidel. 

“They had a fun journey of going door to door and selling and making the jewelry, and it's bloomed into this beautiful corporation that it is,” Lingreen said. 

Lingreen said the Gorjana owners and employees work hard to stay up to date on trends in the jewelry industry. She said bows currently are big and hearts are classic.

“She (Gorjana Reidel) likes to stay in tune with what is trendy, but what will also be classic for years to come,” Lingreen said.

Lingreen moved to Sarasota one week before the store opened July 1. She has worked at four different locations throughout her 3 1/2 years at the company. She has worked at the 25th, 46th, 62nd and now 106th store locations. Other Florida Gorjana locations include Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami and Orlando.

“We want everyone to feel welcomed into our space — no matter if they're looking at our 18-karat plated or 14-karat solid — that they're getting a luxury, premium experience,” Lingreen said. “We want to bring that California chic inspired roots into Sarasota, and I think that fits well with this beachy vibe that this town has to offer.”

Photo by Madison Bierl

The jewelry pieces they sell range from $38 to $5,000. Some top sellers include the Parker Necklace, Venice Necklace and the Lou Collection. 

Lingreen said she loves to shop, and wants her customers to feel the same love and warmth. She acknowledged that different people prefer different experiences when shopping, but she prefers the in-person experience, both as a customer and a store manager. 

As of July 9, the team at UTC’S Gorjana consisted of six employees. Instead of being called sales associates, they refer to themselves and each other as “stylists” because their main goal is to get to know the customer on a personal level in order to base the jewelry styles off who they are. Lingreen said she wants the customers to feel like they’re shopping with their girlfriends. 

“With our price points, there's people who are just going to buy 'just because' and there's people who are going to buy with a lot of intention behind it,” Lingreen said. “We want our customers to feel connected to these pieces.” 

Sarasota resident Sydney Scovill, 23, works in the mall at Lululemon as well as being a stylist at Gorjana. She said she has become good at gauging whether customers want a full, helpful conversation or want to shop on their own. 

Scovill said her job doesn’t feel like work. During her training, she felt she was learning about jewelry with a group of friends. 

Although Lingreen grew up as an athlete who seldom wore jewelry, she appreciates the feminine touch that jewelry adds to her outfits and how it can dress something up. 

“If you like statement pieces, or dainty pieces, we have something literally for everyone,” Lingreen said. “For me, (jewelry) has helped bring out my confidence, my girly side.” 

Lingreen said Gorjana partners with nonprofit organizations nationwide and locally. Organizations include The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Baby2Baby, Dress for Success, Toys for Tots, Kids in Need Foundation and A Lending Paw. 

They have three pieces with a dog paw on it and 50% of the sale of those those items goes back to A Lending Paw, a nonprofit that “connects people in need with rescued and trained service dogs.” They also have a Mama Collection of necklaces in which 10% of the proceeds are donated to Baby2Baby, a nonprofit that provides children with necessities such as diapers. 

“Our brand is mainly run and operated by women and our customers are women for the most part,” Lingreen said. “So it is important for Gorjana to give back to women and children.” 

Lingreen said they would like to support local businesses and schools as well through fundraisers, events and local causes that matter to their customers. She encouraged those interested to come to the store or reach out via the website (Gorjana.com).