This 60-year-old Chinese lady might not know every rapper in the world, but every rapper definitely knows her. Her name is Eva Sam, who founded Popular Jewelry in Chinatown.

Although the store is relatively small and unassuming on the street, it’s a must-visit for many hip-hop singers. Beyonce, Rihanna, Jay-Z, A$AP Rocky, and Drake are all her clients, and Nike has even invited her to model for their apparel.

eva and hip hop stars

Eva’s gold shop officially opened in the late ’80s. It looks quite luxurious, decorated with various gold necklaces and rings. At that time, there were many gold shops in Chinatown like Eva’s, primarily frequented by Chinese people buying wedding gifts or presents.

eva's jewelry style

Eva believed that to stand out, she needed to clearly define her market positioning and showcase unique characteristics. So, she dedicated herself to creating innovative and trendy jewelry. Her goal was to be a distinctive jewelry shop in Chinatown.

eva and her son
Eva and her son

A year later, a well-known singer, Cappadonna, visited her shop. Eva didn’t recognize him and treated him like a usual consumer, recommending pieces heartily. To her surprise, after he was satisfied with his purchase, he recommended her small shop to more friends.

As word of mouth spread, Eva’s shop gradually became a popular spot for more hip-hop stars. They frequently visit Eva’s shop to customize jewelry. Some not only mentioned Eva’s shop in their songs but also chose it as a location for their music videos. Additionally, someone even invited her to be an honorary member of his hip-hop collective.

Why do so many celebrities love Eva’s jewelry?

First, Eva’s designs are unique, and her craftsmanship is fast and punctual. While other shops might take one to three weeks to deliver, Eva can sometimes finish orders overnight and rarely needs adjustments.

Additionally, Eva treats her customers like her own sons, advising them not to smoke, and offering them warm water with honey and lemon, mung bean soup, and Chinese cookies.

eva is helping customers

Furthermore, if you have only 10 dollars, you might hesitate to enter other gold shops, but at Eva’s store, in addition to real gold jewelry, there are also affordable options such as gold-plated and k-gold jewelry. This caters to customers with small budgets.

All in all, to stand out in a competitive market, focusing on your market positioning is crucial. Besides offering unique products, appropriate pricing, good quality, and genuine customer care are key. Eva has expanded her brand and won increasing respect and affection from her customers by adhering to these principles.

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Jingsourcing is a leading Chinese sourcing company that helps medium and small businesses import from China. In our daily blogs, we share real-life case studies of our clients, insights, and tips on Chinese sourcing, as well as interesting stories like this one. If you’d like to follow us to learn more, feel free to subscribe.

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