Gold Creations has had the privilege of watching the city of Charleston grow from a sleepy coastal town known by locals as “The Best Kept Secret in America” to the bustling, beloved destination it is today. From our central location in the heart of the historic Charleston City Market, we have welcomed millions of visitors and locals over our 45 year history, growing with Charleston and expanding our vast customer base each year.
We are honored and grateful to continue doing what we love, sharing joy and meaningful pieces with our wonderful customers and friends who return year after year to shop with us. Patrick, our COO and the youngest child of our founders Glenn and Vicki Wolfe, echoes his parents' philosophy when he says, "It's not about any one individual sale. We are selling ourselves and building relationships with customers who will continue to shop with us in the future." Thank you for helping us to build a thriving family business and treasured brand in the beautiful place we love to call home.
Glenn and Vicki Wolfe, the founders of Gold Creations and parents of the current owners, met in school in Augusta, Georgia, a three and a half hour drive from Charleston, and began dating while Vicki attended college.
Just two teenagers in love, they had no idea that they were about to embark on the journey of a lifetime, chasing the American Dream by way of opening a jewelry enterprise.
Glenn and Vicki got their start in the jewelry business at a three day bluegrass music festival near their hometown of Augusta, Georgia. Glenn happened to make a connection with a woman who was selling authentic, handmade Native American silver jewelry, and bought a tray of rings for $200.
While still at the festival, Glenn and Vicki sold the rings, turning their original $200 investment into about $1000. They were immediately hooked, and set out to make a living selling jewelry somehow.
After determining that their niche would be authentic Native American silver jewelry, they quickly realized that they needed to go straight to the source - which meant a trip to the west.
Using a loan from the Georgia bank, they purchased a brand new, yellow Volkswagen SuperBeetle, drove to New Mexico, and began searching for jewelry to bring back to the East Coast. Vicki remembers buying from the Santo Domingo Jewelry Depot as well as from the Cortez family who had a roadside jewelry shop. They found amazing, handcrafted turquoise beaded jewelry, cuffs and rings that their customers back east had never seen before.
Through a friend, Glenn and Vicki were connected with the buyer of the department store, Belk, in Augusta, and began selling their line of authentic jewelry to several stores in the Augusta area.
Vicki says, “Since I was the most presentable between the two of us, I dressed up in my nicest clothes and met with the Belk buyer, who LOVED our jewelry and filled their showcases with it!” This solidified the business for them - they had started with $200 and now they were actually selling jewelry, providing them a legitimate, though small, income!
Vicki had family who lived in Charleston, and after hearing about their success in Augusta, her Aunt Betty mentioned that they should come check out the Charleston City Flea Market. Glenn and Vicki decided to give it a shot - which ended up being one of the best decisions they have ever made.
They drove to Charleston late on Friday March 28th, 1975, sleeping in their Beetle on Market St. near Church St., and waking up early Saturday morning to claim a table by 6:00am. Customers loved their line of authentic silver jewelry, and they stayed busy all weekend. Their first experience in the Market was a success, and they would return each weekend for the next year!
On March 27, 1976, Glenn and Vicki got married in Augusta, and moved to Anson Street, just a five minute walk from the Market.
They were happy and in love, stringing their own jewelry at home, and selling authentic Native American jewelry in the Flea market on the weekends, and Charleston was still just a sleepy coastal town, with few restaurants and almost no tourists...little did they know that Charleston was about to change big time!
The Market saw virtually no foot traffic Monday - Friday and was only open on the weekends. One week, however, Glenn and Vicki decided to ask permission to set up during the week to see if they could do any business.
They and a man selling roasted peanuts set up their tables on Monday at the corner of Market and Church Street. Vicki remembers calling across the street to people to come check out their handmade jewelry (and peanuts). Sometimes people came over, sometimes they didn’t, she says.
As summer arrived, more vendors began to set up during the weekdays, not just on Saturday and Sunday. The Charleston City Market had become a full-time, 365 day per year shopping destination! Glenn and Vicki would continue to work 7 days a week, from 8am until 8pm, typically being among the first to arrive, and the last to leave the Market.
Prior to being called Gold Creations, Glenn and Vicki called their business Navajo Sunset, a nod to the origin of the business and their fateful trip to the west in 1973 where they purchased the Native American-made jewelry that put them on the map.
Glenn and Vicki, keen business people that they were, spotted the opportunity to grow, deciding that selling 14K Gold would be the next chapter for their business. They purchased casting and fabricating tools, as well as a jewelry repair bench, setting the scene to bring 14K Fine Jewelry to the Market Sheds. Additionally, their business took on a new name when Glenn and Vicki officially named their enterprise "Gold Creations" - which had a certain ring to it, and better represented the vision and direction of the business. Gold Creations would eventually go on to be known as "The Gold Shop in the Market" and one of the best places to find real 14K fine jewelry like Italian necklaces, heavy gold bracelets, bangles, diamond rings, pendants and earrings. Vicki remembers selling serpentine chains "hand over fist" during this time!
At this point, Gold Creations had almost everything it needed to be successful. In addition to having two caring and driven owners, it had secured its name in the Market as the go-to place to buy fine 14k jewelry, with competitive prices and well-trained salespeople. The only thing missing was an actual location!
In a bold move, Glenn and Vicki asked the Market if they could turn an unused broom closet into an actual jewelry store. The answer was yes, and they quickly set about converting the 300 square foot utility room into what would become one of the most popular jewelry stores in Charleston. They put up insulation and sheet rock, cut out a display window in the front wall, added a small window unit air conditioner out of the back wall, and brought in showcases. All the pieces were now in place to have a successful jewelry business!
Glenn and Vicki dreamed of having a large family, so from 1980 to 1990 would go on selling fine jewelry seven days a week, and raise four children - who now own and operate Gold Creations. The fourth and final child was born in 1990, the year after the infamous Hurricane Hugo, which devastated Charleston on September 21st, 1989.
Following Hugo, Charleston lost electricity for about three weeks, and while Vicki and her children remained evacuated in Augusta, Glenn returned to Charleston to assess the damage, and begin repairing both the business, and their home on James Island. The Market sat under 8 feet of water and mud from the storm surge, but Gold Creations and Charleston would bounce back, drawing millions visitors each year.
Following the most recent renovation in 2010, the Market has continued to grow in popularity, and Gold Creations has grown with it. Gaining thousands of customers each year in addition to its already large, loyal customer base, Gold Creations continues to design and offer the finest selection of unique jewelry, as well as wonderful customer service and charm that brings joy to so many customers each year.
Today, Glenn and Vicki’s children own and operate the business, each having spent time working in the shop throughout the years. Their youngest son, Patrick, is the current COO and, much like his parents, continues to create new jewelry designs and lead the wonderful members of the GC staff as they continue the legacy that Glenn and Vicki laid out many years ago.
Thank you for reading our story, come and see us on your next visit to Charleston, our door is always open!
Exactly what makes Gold Creations just so special is hard to describe. It’s the familiar feeling that you get when you walk through the door for the first time. It’s the sparkling, welcoming atmosphere that exists each time you return to visit. As time goes on, Gold Creations evolves and grows, but our values never change. We have determined that these values are essential to running our wonderful business.
At our core we realize that the people who work for us are what makes our business so special, and that is why each of our employees possess and live out our values every day. With so many moving parts we must rely on one another, so as a team we build strong relationships amongst ourselves. Our exceptional customer service is based on creating a warm, trusting environment, and exceeding expectations - something that keeps our customers coming back year after year. Our core values keep us grounded in everything that we do at Gold Creations.
