At Great Lakes Boutique, signature styles with meaning are the perfect way to show her the love
By Patricia Nugent
On its surface, Great Lakes Boutique in Mentor offers one of the largest collections of curated jewelry lines and handbags in the area. But when you look a little further, you’ll find that most of the things they carry offer inspiration, deeper meaning and come from companies that give back.
“If we have in our power the chance to give back to others, why wouldn’t we?” asks Angel Mastandrea, who is always on the lookout for the next big thing in jewelry and beads. “Most of our lines have a charitable component, whether it’s donating to save the koalas that have been decimated by the wildfires in Australia, to helping support women-run businesses, or providing clean water to hurricane-torn Haiti.”
Meet the Newest Rising Stars
In addition to classic lines like Trollbeads, Ohm beads, Henhousebeads, Redbalifrong, Luca + Danni, Scout Curated Wears and Palace of Amber, Great Lakes has just introduced the Thomas Sabo Karma line and Simbi.
“Very popular in Europe and just starting to become in-demand here, Thomas Sabo pieces are interchangeable with the Pandora Essence modular bead bracelet line,” says Angel. “These edgy, highly intricate designs run the gamut from florals to gothic skulls.”
Handcrafted in Haiti by local artisans, Simbi mission bracelets range from clay beads with inspirational charms (“Be Now”), to power wrap bracelets carved from coconut shells. A portion of each sale of these one-of-a-kind pieces provides clean water to those who so desperately need it.
Spring Handbag Trend
The hottest story in Katie Loxton London’s famous six-inch by nine-inch rectangular clutch bags is the new patterns, from metallic palm leaves to dalmatian print to hearts afire.
And the hottest new bag of the season is a just-right cross-body called the Freya bag. With a detachable gleaming gold chain that goes from day to night and coordinates with the gold bar logo, this pebble-textured vegan leather beauty is the perfect size for phone and wallet. Angel says the most popular color is coral, a pinky-red with plenty of attitude.
And she reports that from their newer handbag line called Papaya, a large tote with golden grommets and oodles of room has become the stylish woman’s gym bag of choice. It features a hand-foiled design accented by the company’s signature chunky silk tassel and lotus charm to coordinate with each bag.
Great Lakes Boutique is located within Mentor Corners, at 8920 Mentor Avenue, in Mentor. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 440-266-8900 or visit GreatLakesBoutique.com for more information. Also check out their Facebook page for special flash sales.