Laila Rowe

Profile

Discount accessories boutique Laila Rowe strikes a comfortable balance between trendy and accessible. Since co-owners Judith Schwartz and Alexia Crawford opened their first location on the Upper West Side in 2003, the growth of this peddler of affordably-priced baubles has been nearly unstoppable: The two women can now pinpoint one of their stores in nearly every high-traffic shopping area on the Manhattan map. With their collections of animal print bangle bracelets, faux precious stone rings, and kicky beaded necklaces, each comfortably packed space feels like a rich girl’s Claire’s. But rather than a junior-high crowd, this store attracts mainly grownups in search of fresh jewelry designs at wholesale prices; celebs like Jennifer Lopez have even been known to peruse Laila Rowe's counters. Although customers can now nearly trip over the shop's multiple locations, the boutique maintains its fun, creative, quasi-ethnic sensibility, and manages to stay on top of the latest trends. — Molly Noonan