K. Hollis Jewelers opens at new Batavia location

When Batavia couple Karen and Rob Hollis opened K. Hollis Jewelers in the Shoppes At Windmill Place shopping center in 2005, they wanted to make sure it had a homelike atmosphere.

“We wanted it to feel like our home,” Karen Hollis said.

The couple wants to create that same atmosphere in the store’s new location at 2030 W. Main St. in Batavia in the space that formerly housed Pal Joey’s restaurant. The new location is just a stone’s throw from its former location.

Those walking into the new store will notice a few additions, including a women’s boutique. K. Hollis Jewelers, Boutique & Wine Bar opened at its new location Sept. 24. A grand opening will take place Nov. 12.

K. Hollis Jewelers constantly has been evolving over the years. In 2012, the store more than doubled in size from 1,800 square feet to 4,100 square feet. In 2015, the couple created a community gathering space at the store by adding a wine bar.

With its tagline “From Fun to Fine,” K. Hollis Jewelers tries to cater to everyone. The store also carries jewelry that Karen Hollis has designed.

A former teacher, Karen Hollis started designing jewelry before she opened the store.

Karen Hollis said closing the former location was emotional for her because of all the memories created at the store.

“I had a hard time,” she said.

At the same time, the couple is looking to create new memories at the store’s new location, which at 10,000 square feet is more than double the size of the previous space. The additional space has created more opportunities for the couple, including being able to add a women’s boutique.

Karen Hollis thinks a women’s boutique is a great fit for the store.

“It’s like a one-stop shop,” she said. “I think it’s a perfect fit. I’m really, really excited about the choices. And the choices are ‘from fun to fine,’ just like our jewelry. I wanted to have something for everybody at every price point and every size.”

Like the jewelry on display, she handpicked all of the fashions in the store. She made her selections by first looking into her own closet to see which designers were represented.

Helping her choose the fashions is Marlaine Smith.

“She has years of background in apparel,” Rob Hollis said. “It’s kind of their taste and their eye.”

The clothing represented at the boutique had to meet a certain criteria.

“It had to be unique, comfortable and versatile,” Karen Hollis said. “I have everything from a comfortable cashmere sweatsuit outfit to fancy leather dresses.”

The couple owns the store’s new location as opposed to renting the previous space. In the past several years, they had looked at several locations.

“We were looking for a space that would work for us that we would own,” Rob Hollis said.

The wine bar has helped bring new customers to the store, as well as provide a community gathering space. The new location will give the couple more space to host events.

“It brings people into our store that might not otherwise know about us,” Rob Hollis said. ‘It’s always worked really well, but honestly, it was a little cramped. We only had so much room. We’ll be able to accommodate pretty large groups here. The plan is to have more events.”

The couple has opened the space for nonprofit groups to use at no charge.

“We get to fulfill our goal of being a good community member by having the space available,” Rob Hollis said.

The couple has lived in Batavia for 21 years.

More information about K. Hollis Jewelers, Boutique & Wine Bar is available at khollisjewelers.com.