It is a beautiful and sunny Friday afternoon on Melrose. The street is bustling, and people are walking in and out of trendy coffee shops and high-end designer stores. One of the newest additions to this legendary street is Studs. Studs is a piercing shop that prides itself for offering stress-free piercings in a safe and clean environment handled by top-notch professionals using curated needles. Building one's ‘earscape’ to fit their taste and personality really shows how Studs cares about giving each customer a unique experience. Studs is a celeb favorite, with fans like Kaia Gerber, Maude Apatow, Zendaya, Gwyneth Paltrow, Maggie Rogers, and more. 

Studs has stores all over the United States, but this summer, Los Angeles is lucky enough not to get just one store, but two! Before the grand opening of the melrose location on June 9th, Studs hosted a VIP event to offer up a preview of the store, and I was lucky enough to chat with co-founders Anna Harman (CEO) & Lisa Bubbers (CMO). Bubbers says that the idea behind Studs was to “ reimagine the ear piercing and ear piercing experience that is also related to shopping. Before starting Studs, Bubbers and Harman started out in the startup world. Both startup veterans with a decade each of experience. Who doesn’t love women entrepreneurs! 

Bubbers talked about the design and layout of the store. The store highlighted a lot of neon colors, acrylic, LED lights, diachronic film, reflective materials, etc. What makes this location unique though, is this is the first time they turned their best-selling studs into stickers and posted them all over the storefront window. Once you walk into the store, you notice a blue transparent wall with a mirror shaped like water in this random but recognizable shape.  Bubbers says that the pools of Los Angeles actually inspire that wall. Bubbers also shared that she actually grew up in LA before moving to New York. She’s excited about what's next for studs because she ‘loves melrose place and century city.’ 

Getting a piercing at studs is a highly consultative experience. The piercer uses its professional experience and knowledge to help you find the right location for the piercing and type for your earscape. I went in wanting a daith and tragus piercings, but after talking to the professionals at Studs we decided it would not be the best for me. I don’t have a daith and my tragus is too small, so the back of the earring would protrude and not give me the look and feel that I wanted. That honest communication was something that I really appreciated. So many other shops would have given me the piercing just because I asked for it. According to Bubbers ”Unlike some other piercing shops you may have been to in the past, Studs only uses piercing needles and never piercing guns. After talking to the piercer, I  decided on a flat lighting bolt that honestly looks badass and on the other ear a cute cluster next to a helix piercing I already had. That honest consultation really elevated the experience because it shows that Studs isn’t just about being a cute little piercing shop, but that they take themselves and their product seriously. An experience like that is why they keep popping up with new stores all over the country! 

If you’re not ready for a new piercing, Studs is also a great place to shop. Walking in you can see a beautiful collection of implant grade material, including: titanium, 14k, 18k, and fine jewelry all along their ear bar. There is no shortage of options from snakes, lighting bolts, and colored pieces, the earring selection at Studs lets you flaunt your personality, even down to the earring you select. Studs also wants to make a difference by dabbling in philanthropy too. This Pride they have partnered with The Los Angeles LGBT Center by donating $20,000 in hopes of supporting programs and initiatives for healthcare and social services to help the LGBTQIA+ community. For pride they also created a line filled with rainbow and colorful jewelry so you can show your pride however you want!

Studs VIP event also partnered with some trendy businesses that you have probably seen pop up on your timeline a few times. Comfy underwear brand Parade offered guests a beautiful multicolored satin scarf, which is the perfect summer accessory to go along with your new earrings. GHIA, a spirits-free apéritif adapted for modern times also offered Studs guests a taste of their refreshing spritzer that will transport you to a beautiful villa in Italy or at least a rooftop in DTLA. Squish beauty brand offered guests a cheeky cherry eye & cheek mask that looked good enough to eat. To top it off TOPICALS gave guests their famous FADED cream that helps out even out skin tone and scars. The perfect self-care package for you to enjoy, that pairs well with a nice night in and a glass of wine. 

Studs is getting ready to open to the public on June 9th on Melrose Place and as summer is right around the corner, it is the perfect time for you to stop in and pick up some new jewelry and maybe even a new piercing. Being that is a Hollywood favorite you might have a run-in with your favorite celeb! It is also amazing to see them work with local organizations like The Los Angeles LGBT Center. Consumers today also want to make sure that the businesses they support align with their values too, and Studs knows that. Feel free to check out their new Melrose or Century City locations and check out the store yourself.