After years of selling her wares at craft shows, a long-running local jewelry designer is upgrading to a more permanent setup in Bon Air. 

Kristin E. Burton recently opened a brick-and-mortar shop called KEBaubles & C0. at 2622 Buford Road in the Bon Air Shopping Center.

Burton started the business as KEBaubles Jewelry in 2008, traveling to shows throughout the mid-Atlantic region selling one-of-a-kind bracelets, necklaces, rings and other items. Locals may have seen her pop up over the years at Richmond’s Oktoberfest or Arts in the Park. 

But her story with jewelry begins much earlier. Though Burton knew as a child she had a creative streak, it wasn’t until she started a job at age 16 at Bangles and Beads on West Cary Street in the mid-1980s that she knew she had a passion for making jewelry.

Kristin E. Burton in her new KEBaubles & Co. shop (Courtesy Burton)

That led her to continue working at the shop on and off for years and then to VCU where she concentrated her studies on crafts.

“When you’re getting a crafts degree, no one actually has any faith that you’ll do anything with it,” Burton said. “They picture macaroni and popsicle sticks, but that’s not what it is.”

Keeping count since her first KEBaubles Jewelry necklace in 2008, Burton told BizSense she’s currently working on her 9,129th. There are also at least a thousand KEBaubles Jewelry bracelets out there, she noted. 

The 1,200-square-foot Buford Road space was previously occupied for more than 20 years by women’s clothing store Sterling Boutique. When the boutique’s owners told Burton the shop would be closing last September, she said she saw an opportunity.

Having spent most of her life in Bon Air and living nearby, Burton felt the shop location was the right fit. She opened the shop in mid-December, rebranded as KEBaubles & Co. and is manning it seven days a week. 

Betsy Mangum of Sperity Real Estate Ventures represented KEBaubles & Co. in the lease on the new shop. 

Some KEBaubles & Co. wares. (Photo by Jackie DiBartolomeo)

KEBaubles & Co. work incorporates natural gemstones and crystals along with earthy and celestial motifs for a funky yet refined look. Prices are in the $20 to $55 range. 

Burton said she’s seen Bon Air locals’ excitement about a new, woman-owned business in the shopping center.

“[Residents] are excited to have something in it, they’re excited to have something new and fun,” Burton said. “They all say how much lighter and brighter and whimsical it is.” 

Even though her main product is her jewelry, Burton doesn’t want the new shop to feel like a showroom. All her jewelry is out on display, and she encourages customers to come and touch the items.

“I wanted it to be a tactile experience,” she said. “I want people to feel free to walk around with a necklace in their hand and hold it up to a garment.”

The new shop also offers women’s clothing, along with handbags and hair accessories. Burton also places an emphasis on supporting local Virginia vendors, and has some items from businesses like Rice-based Mam Jam’s Candle Company and Mechanicsville’s Wandering Cow Farm.

KEBaubles & Co. is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Bon Air Shopping Center is also known for Joe’s Inn Bon Air restaurant and café Perk! Coffee & Lunchbox.