Angela Moore is moving her corporate headquarters to Plaza del Mar. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Allen Whittemore
Angela Moore is moving her corporate headquarters to Manalapan’s Plaza del Mar shopping center, next to her newly opened retail store. “We are thrilled to be in Florida, and the reception from the local people has just been awesome,” says Moore. “It is just too cold in Rhode Island this time of year.”
Moore, who now lives in Ocean Ridge, started her company in 1998 after five years of designing hand-painted jewelry as a hobby. She was working for a large German crystal design and manufacturing company in Munich when local women began to notice her bracelets and wanted to know where they could buy them.
Her husband, Gary, suggested that she quit the corporate world abroad and become an entrepreneur in the United States.
“The original intent was to design pieces that were fun and a reflection of the resort community,” Moore said, adding, “We wanted to go from colorful to sophisticated.”
Thus began colorful new themes — Bon Appetit, By the Sea, Set Sail, Teacher’s Pet and the Stars and Stripes — in women’s accessories.
Moore’s career with large retailers was a plus. “My prior experience with Tiffany and Ralph Lauren showed me the value of great price points and a great design. I also learned a lot about merchandising.”
Moore is also passionate about giving back to her community. Her favorite charities are those that are involved with women’s issues, children and education. Early on she began working with the Susan G. Komen Foundation and designing patterns with the group’s objectives in mind.
“When we design a new bracelet for a charity, we want to know what the objectives are to come up with a piece that is important for them.”
Moore is also involved with Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, R.I., where Hasbro Happy Kids bracelets were conceived.
To date, more than $75,000 has been donated to the hospital.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., is another favorite. Moore created the Tennis Memories Classic Bracelet and sponsors an annual fashion show to coincide with the Hall of Fame induction ceremony every summer.
“We have raised over $125,000 for tennis so far, and have had Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish and the Bryan brothers (Bob and Mike) as fashion models.
There are many other affiliations as well, such as the Autism Society of America, the Sierra Club, Juvenile Diabetes, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, the Pink Dragon (Canada), PBS and Kent Hospital. Angela Moore Inc. gives 15 percent of the net proceeds of each charitable item back to the organization.
Moore said she receives many emails from customers, but one stands out.
“I got an email from a woman who said that holding her ovarian cancer bracelet helped her as she prayed every day, and she is now a cancer survivor. It is a great reminder for why we do what we do.”
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