Rocksbox, originally a jewelry rental subscription business launched in 2012, is rolling out brick-and-mortar stores for the first time.

The brick-and-mortar agenda started with a six-month pop-up shop opened on Fillmore Street in San Francisco in November, which the company decided to make permanent due to better-than-expected sales and a desire to continuing monitoring trends. Over the past month or so, a second Rocksbox unit opened in Broadway Plaza, in Walnut Creek, Calif., and in early June, a third Rocksbox store opened on Elizabeth Street in the NoLIta neighborhood in Manhattan, which has its official opening today.

Four more stores are seen opening later this year, in Los Angeles; Atlanta; Miami, and Paramus, N.J.

“We are tremendously excited to be leaning into retail expansion,” Allison Vigil, president of Rocksbox, told WWD. “From a market perspective, there’s high growth in the fashion segment, especially with players in the $250 to $500 range.

“We’re looking at this first round of seven as an opportunity to test and fine-tune the concept, and we’re also testing real estate formats and a range of footprints as well,” from as small as 100 square feet to under 1,000 square feet. “These learnings will inform our expansion for next year, but we have our eyes on continued store growth.”

While the San Francisco and Manhattan shops are street locations, the focus going forward is on situating stores in high-traffic, highly visible malls and lifestyle centers attracting strong concentrations of women ages 25 to 45, Rocksbox’s target audience.

Rocksbox, which has been a division of Signet Jewelers since 2021, has a multibrand assortment with a range from plated, vermeil and demi-fine jewelry to fine jewelry and lab-grown diamonds. Established and emerging jewelry designers are sold as well as Rocksbox-developed products, letting customers to mix and match as they accessorize.

“It’s an inclusive offering, so that customers can find fine designs, designers and brands and styles that meet their own personal style,” Vigil said.

Among the top brands cited were Rocksbox, Ana Luisa, Luv AJ, Kendra Scott and Kate Spade.

Recent bestsellers cited include Rocksbox’s “Tarot” pendants, lab-created diamond accent heart pendant necklace, and “Sideways” initial necklace; “Zinnia” earrings and the “Aspen” ring by Rocksbox Redefined, and the “Sunset Voyage” pendant by Joy Dravecky.

“We’re focused on creating a really warm, inviting store environment, as if you’re in a friend’s house trying on jewelry. That really goes back to the heritage of the brand focused on discovery and styling since Rocksbox was founded in 2012. The majority of our jewelry is open display,” so customers can easily try on pieces and “self-navigate” the store, Vigil said.

Stores have central tables with mirrors and jewelry tray, and signage in the store encourages shoppers to try on the pieces. There are also store associates for assistance. Rocksbox has partnered with the Leap platform for opening stores.

Asked if the open display leads to any theft, Vigil replied: “We’ve not had any concerns about it to date. The fine jewelry sits in a case, but that’s really one case in a broader assortment that’s mostly open-sell.” Fine jewelry, which could become a larger part of the assortment, currently represents about 10 percent of the selling floors.

The company has found that per visit, customers buy more when they are in a store versus shopping online. “We have seen that out of the gate, and we expect that it will continue,” she said.

Vigil said Rocksbox’s direction — opening stores and prioritizing fashion jewelry and self-purchasing rather than gifting for special occasions such as engagements or anniversaries — “really fits nicely within the overall Signet strategy, Grow, Brand, Love,” which was revealed by Signet chief executive officer J.K. Symancyk in March. She said Signet is shifting from “a banner-led strategy to real brand differentiation.”