Minnesota retailer and charm designer Julianne Paulsen has purchased the iconic jewelry brand Strellman’s, she tells JCK.

Paulsen says she has long sold the jewelry brand at her Virginia, Minn.–based store, Rocks the Jeweler, and been a fan of its signature Lighthouse Lens Cut. 

“About two months ago, we got a call they were going to be closing their business,” she says. “Of course, it broke my heart. The first thing I thought of is preserving the legacy and the Lighthouse Lens cut. I didn’t want this iconic company to not be in existence anymore.”

At that point, she says, the company wasn’t for sale. But she flew out to its headquarters in Medford, Ore., and is now its owner.

Taking custodianship of the 66-year-old brand is “an honor and a privilege,” she says. 

The company will now manufacture in Southern California, while sales and marketing will be based in Minnesota. But it will still sell to other retailers.

“Their accounts are all currently active, and we hope bring on a couple of hundred new accounts,” she says. “We just need to breathe new life into the brand.” 

She hopes to bring in celebrities to promote the brand, but couldn’t announce anything officially at press time.

Rob Bates

JCK News Director