Humboldt County’s first residents hailed from the Yurok, Karuk, Wiyot, Chilula, Whilkut and Hupa tribes, among others. They settled on the coast and along the banks of the Trinity and Klamath rivers. The county was created in May 1853 and derives its name from Humboldt Bay, which was “discovered” by a sea otter hunting party in 1806 and rediscovered in 1849. Douglas Ottinger and Hans Buhne entered the bay in 1850 and named it in honor of naturalist and explorer Baron Alexander von Humboldt.
Del Norte County has been home to the Yurok and Tolowa peoples for thousands of years. Legendary explorer Jedediah Smith is credited with being the first non-native to enter the region, in 1828. Gold strikes on the Klamath and Smith Rivers in the 1850s led to the settlement of the county, which was created in March 1857. Its name, meaning “the north,” is derived from its position in the northwest corner of the state.
Prayer flags line the walls in signature shades of pink, lavender, green and blue, and inadvertently speak volumes about the way Holly Yashi has conducted its business in Arcata for 25 years.
Whimsy, faith in their products and an artistic flair that has driven jewelry line sales to boast a whopping 1,100-retailer base are among the reasons make Holly Yashi owners Holly Hosterman and Paul “Yashi” Lubitz excited to come to work every day.
Few business owners start out brimming with the confidence that their entrepreneurial pursuits will be not only financially successful but a long-term career. But patience and hard work have paid off for the business that today has around 70 employees ranging from full-time to independent contractors in the community.
Lubitz, president and CEO at Holly Yashi, said the idea that he could have envisioned what kind of future the company had in store from the beginning is almost laughable.
“Who is thinking that far ahead?” he said. “There are always challenges and the market is continually changing — I guess I just feel super fortunate that we have been able to work with great people and make a product that we can really be proud of.”
Not bad for a product with humble roots that originally were planted in an Arcata garage. Among the biggest changes the owners have weathered is the advent of the Internet, which has completely shifted sales dynamics.
Hosterman said that independent galleries and home lifestyle gift stores similar to the local company Plaza Design still represent a good portion of the Holly Yashi client base. An increased interest from large catalog and Internet companies along with Web site sales, fine jewelry stores and the QVC cable channel over the past few years have broadened the buyer’s opportunity to see Holly Yashi jewelry.
Aside from increased sales, the new markets for their wearable art have also brought unexpected advantages. For the first time, the company has a direct line of communication to the consumer and is able to instantaneously gauge whether a line or style is well received.
A few months ago, the company sent out surveys to 10,000 Holly Yashi end buyers, and Lubitz said they received 8 percent of those back.
“It was an unbelievable response. It was like a love fest,” he said laughing, but added that he realizes big fans would be more motivated to respond to a survey of this kind.
As Holly Yashi has grown, so has the variety and styles of its jewelry. Even the tried and true etched niobium designs are getting a makeover. Niobium, which is the staple of Hosterman’s designs, is a lightweight metal like titanium, but much more rare. When sheets of the niobium are immersed in an electrically charged bath, the metal flashes into different colors.
New materials like semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals and cultured pearls are being added to the niobium mix, and have produced invigorating new collections.
Another big change is the investment into new high-tech production machinery. Previously, Holly Yashi producers used punches to cut the niobium into different shapes for earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Some of Hosterman’s designs are so complex that Lubitz has drawn upon his background in industrial technology to develop new processes to answer the design challenges.
An abrasive water jet is the newest addition to the production line, which allows for precision cuts with little effort. The water jet runs crushed garnet abrasives with water pressure of 50,000 pounds per square inch and can cut any material with swift accuracy.
The new Reversibles collection is one of the first experiments with the new machine, and Hosterman promises that a lot of other out-of-the box designs are on Holly Yashi’s horizon.
“It’s opened up all kinds of possibilities, because what used to take an hour to cut out one piece can now be scanned and have a finished piece or 100 pieces in minutes,” Lubitz said.
Hosterman explained that the steel-punching dies would previously have to be ordered to make a piece. If the piece had graduated shapes — like many of her designs do — it would require die investment of between $5,000 and $10,000 to begin producing a new style. The hindering of risky innovation because of steep but necessary investments was a natural result, and the design team at Holly Yashi is already enjoying its first taste of freedom.
“Previously, we wouldn’t even go there, but now we can do organic shapes that are lacey or flowery,” Hosterman said. “We used to be just limited to metal, but now we can cut glass, plastic, wood, shell — even cloth and foam.”
Aside from changes in jewelry designs, another new challenge for the company has been the process of rebranding the company. Efforts are currently underway with nationally respected creative directors to redesign the Holly Yashi Web site, logo, merchandising displays and more.
One new example of the types of boutique lines that are in sync with their new look can be found through online retailers like www.anthropologie.com.
For more information about Holly Yashi, check out home décor boutiques and jewelry stores in your community. For a list of premiere retailers in your area, go to www.hollyyashi.com.