AuctionsSep 30, 2022
Red Diamond Earns $1.8M at AuctionThe final hammer price blew the pre-sale estimate out of the water.
EditorsJan 18, 2018
Marla and the Machine
Our editor-in-chief takes a (very short) road trip to the Brooklyn Museum to meet with jewelry designer Marla Aaron and see her much-talked-about vending machine.
Marla Aaron takes a seat in front of her vending machine in the Brooklyn Museum. Originally, Aaron planned to cap the price point of the merchandise in the machine at $500 but bumped it up to $1,500 after noticing her average online sale creeping up.
If you had to guess, how long would you say vending machines have been around? Since the 1800s, or 1700s maybe?
According to a history of a vending and coffee service from NAMA, that is the National Automatic Merchandising Association, the ancient Egyptians had devices in their temples that dispensed holy water as early as 215 B.C.
In the United States, the government granted patents for coin-operated vending machines as early as 1886, and there were some dispensing gum on New York City subway platforms by 1888.
Fast-forward a few thousand years and vending machines are entering the conversation about the future of retail as they are being employed to dispense an ever-increasing variety of products.
Anyone who has passed through an airport in the past decade has seen the machines that sell electronics, like headphones and cell phone chargers, and cosmetics from brands like Benefit and Philosophy.
There are beach-side machines that sell flip-flops, and Japanese company Uniqlo started selling its clothes out of vending machines last year after plans to expand its physical footprint in the U.S. fell flat.
And now, inside a museum in what is inarguably New York’s hippest borough, a jewelry designer named Marla Aaron has a vending machine that dispenses her signature locks.
On a recent morning at the museum, I met with Aaron to see it and chat about why she sunk between $30,000 and $50,000 into a machine that dispenses jewelry with zero consultation.
Reason No. 1 will be very familiar to both designers and retailers today: She was looking for more innovative and cost-effective ways of reaching customers, outside of the traditional store and online channels.
“When you run a small business, you have to be open to a lot of new ideas. You can’t afford to do things the same old way,” Aaron told me as we stood in front of her machine, waiting for it to reboot.
“If I had done all the stuff I am supposed to do in this jewelry industry”--meaning spend thousands of dollars to exhibit at trade shows and pour money into making jewelry that gets sent out on memo--“this brand would not exist. We would not have had the economic tolerance for what that entails,” she said.
“I think that’s what leads you down this sort of path.”
According to a history of a vending and coffee service from NAMA, that is the National Automatic Merchandising Association, the ancient Egyptians had devices in their temples that dispensed holy water as early as 215 B.C.
In the United States, the government granted patents for coin-operated vending machines as early as 1886, and there were some dispensing gum on New York City subway platforms by 1888.
Fast-forward a few thousand years and vending machines are entering the conversation about the future of retail as they are being employed to dispense an ever-increasing variety of products.
Anyone who has passed through an airport in the past decade has seen the machines that sell electronics, like headphones and cell phone chargers, and cosmetics from brands like Benefit and Philosophy.
There are beach-side machines that sell flip-flops, and Japanese company Uniqlo started selling its clothes out of vending machines last year after plans to expand its physical footprint in the U.S. fell flat.
And now, inside a museum in what is inarguably New York’s hippest borough, a jewelry designer named Marla Aaron has a vending machine that dispenses her signature locks.
On a recent morning at the museum, I met with Aaron to see it and chat about why she sunk between $30,000 and $50,000 into a machine that dispenses jewelry with zero consultation.
Reason No. 1 will be very familiar to both designers and retailers today: She was looking for more innovative and cost-effective ways of reaching customers, outside of the traditional store and online channels.
“When you run a small business, you have to be open to a lot of new ideas. You can’t afford to do things the same old way,” Aaron told me as we stood in front of her machine, waiting for it to reboot.
“If I had done all the stuff I am supposed to do in this jewelry industry”--meaning spend thousands of dollars to exhibit at trade shows and pour money into making jewelry that gets sent out on memo--“this brand would not exist. We would not have had the economic tolerance for what that entails,” she said.
“I think that’s what leads you down this sort of path.”
Marla Aaron’s jewelry vending machine was installed at the Brooklyn Museum on Dec. 8, during the holiday season. It measures 72 inches high, 42 inches deep and 30 inches wide, with a footprint of 10 square feet.
Aaron said she began the process of having the machine built two years ago. At first, she wasn’t sure where it should go. A hotel? An airport? No, she decided in both cases, she wanted it to be more “for New York.”
She had a “yes” from several jewelers who were interested in housing it, but didn’t want to put her first vending machine in a traditional store.
She started down the on-a-street path but found that New York City real estate brokers don’t know, or claim not to know, how to charge for a 10-square-foot plot of land (surprising in a city so skilled at renting extremely small spaces, no?). They kept pushing her to just open a store.
Eventually, Aaron ran the idea by her friend and customer Olivia Song, an interior designer who is co-chair of the Brooklyn Museum’s board of advisors, “And it clicked,” she said.
The vending machine would go in the Brooklyn Museum, right outside the door to the gift shop.
Unlike many of the snack and soda variety, Aaron’s machine is opaque, not glass front.
A touch screen, which starts with a video of the designer talking about her jewelry, shows shoppers a picture and gives the price and description for each of the seven styles held within, which range in price from $100 to $1,472.
They tap on the style they want, swipe their credit card, and retrieve their piece from a little door located below and to the right of the touch screen. Receipts, if requested, are emailed.
The machine is part experimental retail and part branding vessel and, like any venture, it has its challenges.
“There is not one moment you can’t be thinking about how your customer feels about your brand.” -- Marla Aaron
The morning that I was there, Aaron and I were trying to run through a purchase so I could see exactly how the machine works, but it kept rejecting credit cards, both hers and mine.
While she messaged with her team to try to work it out (turns out, the machine just hadn’t reconnected to Wi-Fi after being turned off overnight), we took a seat and chatted a bit about something I’m sure a lot of people have wondered: what do you do when something goes wrong with a machine like this, when a credit card doesn’t work or a purchase gets stuck (which hasn’t happened so far, she said)?
“It’s not without its problems,” Aaron allows.
But, she said, she prides her company on being a “very accessible brand.”
She has, in the past, Skyped with customers who are having trouble opening her silver baby locks.
Customers also can find her on Instagram, where she’ll answer direct messages.
She has email addresses on her website as well as phone numbers that ring through to live human beings who also can help. (Aaron said initially, she proposed putting her personal cell phone number on the vending machine, but her team vetoed that.)
In addition, each vending machine purchase comes with a small card that reads in part, “If you would like to return or exchange one of our pieces, please email us at info@marlaaaron.com,” and then goes on to list the details of the company’s return policy.
“There is not one moment you can’t be thinking about how your customer feels about your brand,” she said.
Aaron’s vending machine made its museum debut on Dec. 8 and will be departing in a couple of weeks for destinations unknown, or unknown to us anyway. The designer said she has its next location picked out but isn’t making that information public right now.
Wherever it goes, the machine will be getting a bit of a facelift. Aaron plans to change up the video, which is currently very Brooklyn-centric, and she can also change out the exterior wrap and the product selection within.
The Brooklyn Museum is located at 200 Eastern Parkway and is accessible by the 2/3 train; it sits on top of the Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum stop on that line.
Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. You can view the various ticket prices here.
Editor’s note: This article was updated post-publication to correct the date the vending machine arrived at the Brooklyn Museum--it was Dec. 8, not 19--and to remove an incorrect detail about the video that displays on the machine’s touchscreen.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Editors
The Latest
Policies & IssuesSep 30, 2022
Voting Is Open for the Fairmined 100 Challenge’s Best CollectionThe winners, picked by a group of judges and voted as the public’s favorite, will be announced in a webinar on Oct. 11.
CollectionsSep 30, 2022
Piece of the Week: Fewer Finer’s ‘Family Bracelet’The engravable piece is a perfect family heirloom.
Brought to you by
6 Steps to Start a Dynamic Company CultureLearn how to better serve your employees, customers and community by having a dynamic and supportive company culture.
GradingSep 30, 2022
GSI India Names Ramit Kapur Managing DirectorKapur has spent nearly two decades working in the gemological labs sector of the jewelry industry.
Weekly QuizSep 29, 2022
This Week’s QuizTest your knowledge of the latest jewelry news with this quick test.
Supplier BulletinSep 29, 2022
How to Create an Engaging Experience and a Sparkling ReputationSponsored by Synchrony
SourcingSep 29, 2022
Q&A: Constantin Wild Celebrates 175 Years in the Colored Stone Business The family business’ fourth-generation eponymous owner reflects on the milestone and the market today.
Brought to you by
Committing to an Ethical Diamond BusinessWhile ethical mining is essential to a diamond business, they represent only a fraction of the responsibility bestowed on jewelers.
AuctionsSep 29, 2022
See the Top Lots in Christie’s Upcoming Rare Watch SaleAccording to Christie’s, the auction is its most important single-owner watch collection ever.
CollectionsSep 29, 2022
Trove Has a New Proposal: Ring BoxesThe jewelry box brand is expanding with both single and double ring boxes in red, mint green, and white.
SourcingSep 29, 2022
AGTA Names Jennifer Heebner Editor-in-Chief of its PublicationsThe association has also hired a new marketing manager and announced two staff transitions.
Policies & IssuesSep 29, 2022
JA Members Return to Capitol Hill to Voice Jewelers’ ConcernsThe topics up for discussion with lawmakers included inflation, rising interest rates, hiring challenges, and crime.
AuctionsSep 28, 2022
The 18-Carat ‘Fortune Pink’ Diamond Could Sell for $35M The pear-shaped fancy vivid pink diamond will lead the Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels auction on Nov. 8.
SurveysSep 28, 2022
Consumer Confidence Rises in SeptemberU.S. consumer confidence rose for the second consecutive month as gas prices fell.
MajorsSep 28, 2022
Artistry’s 2023 Catalog Is Out NowThe jewelry catalog features an updated layout and 160 pages of product.
MajorsSep 28, 2022
JFC’s 2022 ‘Hope for the Holidays’ Program Is an Adorable Menagerie There are three designs to choose from this year, all featuring animals drawn by kids who have had wishes granted through Make-A-Wish.
AuctionsSep 27, 2022
In Betty White’s Blockbuster Estate Sale, Jewelry Held Its Own Fine jewelry comprised three of the auction’s top 10 lots, though it could not top her director’s chair or scripts from “The Golden Girls.”
CrimeSep 27, 2022
3 Suspects in Beverly Hills Smash-and-Grab Robbery ArrestedA total of four suspects are now in custody with police still on the lookout for the remaining two.
ColumnistsSep 27, 2022
Creative Connecting: Fun Ideas for Holiday 2022 In-Store EventsFrom a “whodunnit” murder mystery to a permanent jewelry party, Duvall O’Steen and Jen Cullen Williams share a wealth of suggestions.
MajorsSep 27, 2022
Stuller Releases 2 Updated Catalogs Ahead of the Holiday Season “Mountings 2023-2024” and “Diamonds & Gemstones 2023-2024” offer a vast selection of options to create custom pieces.
Events & AwardsSep 27, 2022
ICA’s 2023 Congress Will Be Held in Dubai The event will be hosted by the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre from Feb. 15-17.
IndependentsSep 26, 2022
Roberson’s Fine Jewelry to Close After 42 YearsThe store’s liquidation sale will showcase the mix of classic and unique jewels it’s known for stocking.
CollectionsSep 26, 2022
Go ‘Inside the Dream’ of Bulgari Via a New Documentary on Amazon Prime It follows Creative Director Lucia Silvestri as she crafts the brand’s high jewelry collections.
Recorded WebinarsSep 26, 2022
Watch: What Jewelers Should Know About InsuranceFrom safeguarding showcases to appraisal liability, insurance experts Mark Devereaux and Andrew Chipman share insurance tips for jewelers.
TrendsSep 26, 2022
Vahan Collabs With Wolf on a Jewelry BoxIt’s the first time in 50 years the brand has made something other than jewelry.
Events & AwardsSep 26, 2022
Texas Jewelers Association Rolls Out New Format for Design CompetitionThe competition takes place in tandem with TJA’s annual convention, known as the Texas Jewelers Roundup.
CollectionsSep 23, 2022
Pandora Reimagines Keith Haring’s Art in New CollectionThe limited-run collection features figures from Haring’s iconic street art on charms, bracelets, rings, and more.
