A new ear-piercing studio is setting up shop in Chicago, aiming to fill a gap between high-end boutiques and the Hoffman Estates-based tween mall classic Claire’s.
Studs, a New York-based studio, will open its first Chicago location in the Gold Coast Wednesday, marking its 20th location nationwide. The Gold Coast location will have a staff of six, including two expert piercers.
With trendy slogans like a “Hole new you” and its trademarked style “Earscaping,” Studs has hooked Gen Z and millennials with creating personalized piercings and earring stacking for a custom look. The business has attracted such celebrities as actress Zendaya and model Kaia Gerber, who got Studs’ signature “snakebite” look that places two piercings close together.
Studs CEO and co-founder Anna Harman views the Gold Coast as an epicenter of shopping, making it an ideal starting point in what she hopes will become a major market for the business.
“We ultimately will have multiple stores in Chicago, and so we really wanted to figure out, ‘Well, what is our anchor for that business?’” she said. “Gold Coast felt like it would be a great anchor for us, but it is by no means the only store we will have.”
Harman said the company had been looking into the Chicago market for a few years, noting online sales from the area have been strong.
But Studs isn’t alone. Mejuri and Rowan, which both have locations in Chicago and around the country, offer piercing services and jewelry at a similar price point to Studs.
Rebekah Kondrat, managing partner at Rekon Retail, said Studs has been successful by capitalizing on a movement toward personalization seen across industries and branding its services as a form of self-care and self-expression.
“What the brand has done really well is they have read the tea leaves around what is next up in the zeitgeist,” she said. “I wouldn’t say that it made the trend necessarily, but it certainly did identify it very, very quickly [and] very, very early on, and is definitely riding the wave.”
Unlike some ear-piercing stores, Studs does not use a piercing gun and only uses sterilized hollow needles. Harman said in addition to being a safer option, needles are able to do piercings that guns can’t.
In December, the Chicago studio will launch an exclusive collection, featuring iconic Chicago imagery such as deep dish pizza and Cloud Gate — commonly known as the Bean. The collection will offer two sets of three pieces each, retailing for $68.
Harman said its city collections create unique experiences for customers.
“We were really excited about this idea of how do you use iconic city imagery to create earrings that will make us a really exciting jewelry experience for people that are in those environments,” she said.
Harman and Studs Chief Brand Officer and co-founder Lisa Bubbers created the company in 2019, opening a second New York location shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“It was an incredible success — crazy lines, celebrities coming into the store — and so we really felt like we were onto something,” she said.
The partners founded the business after noticing a gap in the market. In 2018, when Harman went to get an ear-piercing in Manhattan, she was disappointed by the options.
“They told me I was going to wait probably two hours because they didn’t take appointments, and it was going to cost probably $500 to $700 to get one piercing,” she said.
Harman chose to leave and stop by a tattoo parlor instead but said the prices were still high, and she didn’t like the jewelry.
“I was really interested in this idea of when you graduate from Claire’s, which is really an iconic, beloved brand for tweens, where is it that you go? And the answer for most people is you go to the tattoo parlor, and I really felt like there had to be a better option,” she said.
Studs’ main competition now is convenience, Kondrat said, so adding locations to meet customers where they are makes sense.
“I got my daughter’s ears pierced at some jewelry store down the street because they had piercing on-site,” Kondrat said. “I didn’t make an appointment at my Studs because one, actually I checked first and they didn’t have any availability, and two, they’re farther away.”
Studs offers piercings for $35, or $50 for two, and limits customers to a maximum of two piercings in an eight-week time period for “optimal healing” and to prevent infection, according to its website. Earrings, sold individually or in pairs, range in price from about $18 to $150.
The Chicago studio is expected to be open Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with expert piercers available by appointment online at studs.com. Walk-ins are welcome. Piercing services are available for ages 13 and older.
