The longtime Jeffrey general manager has found success on his own as a purveyor of exclusive fine jewelry, art, and gifts
Many in Atlanta know Don Purcell as the go-to for interesting, unique, and colorful fine jewelry these days, but that wasn’t what he necessarily wanted to do after school. Purcell originally wanted to be an artist. “I was a studio art major in college. I thought I was going to make money being an artist,” he laughs.
A chance encounter with Morris Kalinsky, owner of Bob Ellis Shoes in Charleston, changed his path. Purcell met him in Charlotte, where he was living at the time. He moved to Charleston to work for Kalinsky and met Kalinsky’s son, Jeffrey, the founder of Jeffrey, the beloved Phipps Plaza boutique.
Jeffrey Kalinsky and Purcell worked together in various capacities for decades in the boutiques, including opening the New York City Meatpacking District location and the Palo Alto location. He was made general manager of the Atlanta location in 2007 and stayed with Kalinsky until all three locations closed in 2020.
Jeffrey was known for having forward-thinking designer bags, shoes, and ready-to-wear, but Purcell argues that the fine jewelry selection was just as important. “It was one of the best jewelry stores—a lot of designers wanted to be in the store because of the collectors we had shopping with us,” he says.
After the stores closed, Purcell saw an opportunity. “There were all these people shopping at Jeffrey and buying this jewlery, but now there was nowhere for them to see it. They can’t buy a $100,000 necklace online,” he says. Those foundational relationships gave Purcell the idea to focus on jewelry and the confidence to go out on his own. In 2021, he opened his eponymous store at Buckead Village District.
Purcell specializes in what he calls “design-driven, modern fine jewlery,” more akin to wearable art than just a fashion accessory. The pieces he carries are colorful, evocative, and playful, representative of personality and not only status. His pieces are meant to be worn, irrespective of the price tag. “I’m a fan of jewelry that gets out [of the safe] all the time,” he says. Purcell plays to that in his merchandising, displaying his wares as works of art and not just goods for sale.
Most of his designers are exclusive to the store in Atlanta, and several have very few outlets in the United States. For example, pieces from French designer Marie-Helene de Taillaic and Japanese designer Mio Harutaka sit alongside pieces from New York-based Sidney Garber and Darlene de Sedle. There is jewelry from Atlantan Kimberly McDonald, known for mixing geodes and natural elements with diamonds, and colorful statement pieces from celebrity favorite Irene Neuwirth. “My customer is someone who likes exclusivity and who responds to art. They have a different point of view,” he says.
Purcell has also become known as the place in town to buy Ashley Longshore’s irreverent, funny, and colorful pop art. “I knew Ashley before she blew up. I admire her tenacity,” says Purcell. “We’re kindred spirits in that way.” That partnership, like many of his, came about organically. “We were just off the pandemic [when we opened], and I thought it was the perfect time to make everyone smile, and walk into my store and give them a happy and fun experience. Ashley’s art is perfect for that.”
In addition to Longshore, Purcell carries two pottery lines: the small batch Atlanta-based brand abm.ceramics, and Hazy Mae, a whimsical Brooklyn-based line of cookie jars. He’s constantly adding artistically-driven collectible items to the store from hard-to-find brands, such as Poposition Press, a purveyor of unique pop-up books about artists like Keith Haring and Andy Warhol.
Purcell is proud of what he’s built in the last five years and is enthusiastic about the next five. He’s planning a store remodel, led by designer-to-the-stars Fred Dilger of Dilger-Gibson, and getting more pop-ups on the calendar to spread the word beyond Buckhead in places like Nashville and Charleston. “I’m getting my tentacles out there,” he says.
When not helping Atlantans choose fine jewlery, Purcell is an avid supporter of nonprofits, including Dancing Stars Atlanta. “My father and grandfather both passed from Alzheimer’s,” he says. He’s done events with Marlo Thompson’s Glam It Up!, a nonprofit organization that empowers foster care girls, and he plans to do more in the store with his own peaceful protest nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ rights, Pansy Patrol, in the future.
