Freijanes all about ‘Flair’ along K-Pike
Jeweler Uri Freijanes has moved her business, International Flair Jewelers, from Parkside Drive to 11124 Kingston Pike beside The Shrimp Dock in Essex Pointe shopping center. Freijanes is planning a grand opening the second weekend of December.
Freijanes, who opened the store Wednesday, Nov. 14, is planning a grand opening the second weekend of December.
“We’re going to have prizes, giveaways, food, drinks and just let everyone know where we are,” she said. “It’s been great to see people follow us for all these years and enjoy what we do.”
International Flair Jewelers provides all different jewelry services, from repairs and refurbishing to custom designs.
“We do engraving and stringing,” Freijanes said. “If we cannot offer the services here, we can get them hired.
“Anything that has to do with the jewelry industry, we can do,” she added. “We have two gemologists and two jewelers on staff; so we don’t just sell beautiful jewelry, we know all the ins and outs of it.
“What’s great about our store is we do not only just carry different designer lines, we are called International Flair because we do actually travel and get jewelry from London, England; Spain; Italy; Denmark; USA; and Israel.”
The store is going into its 21st year of operation, Freijanes said. A second-generation jeweler, she was born into the business, following in the footsteps of her mother, Ana Hurtado.
“My mother was in the industry for more than 50 years,” she said. “She was in Venezuela originally, then Florida.
“I was changing batteries at 5 years old,” Freijanes added and laughed. Legally, she said she was 17 years old when she started the business. She opened her first store in 1997.
“I noticed that Knoxville was not promoting or selling any sterling silver,” she recalled. “My sister worked at a jewelry store in West Town Mall, and I used to work as a gemologist (at a jewelry store) in Oak Ridge.”
However, Freijanes wanted make jewelry that was a little more casual, more fun, and her mother was opening a wholesale sterling silver business at that time.
“So we went to Italy and got all the inventory ready for her to sell,” she said.
At the same time, Freijanes
decided to take the leap and
open her own store, first in West Town Mall for five years and later in Turkey Creek to have more flexible hours.
She also started a family, having her son, Francis Dario “Tiki” Freijanes, now 15.
Then she wanted to purchase a location instead of paying rent, so she bought the spot in Essex Pointe.
Currently her hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday; from 10 a.m. to
8 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and from 1 to 6:30 p.m., Sunday.
For more information, visit her website at internationalflair jewelers.com or call 865-777-1181.
