Jewelry had always been her thing—but she never imagined that creating a charm bracelet for herself would spark an entirely new business built around vintage treasures.
Like so many others during Covid, Malia Frame found herself at home with extra time and a desire to create. As she searched online for the perfect charms for her bracelet, she began exploring antique and vintage jewelry more deeply. What started as a quest for charms turned into hours of research, learning the history of vintage pieces, sourcing unique items, and eventually purchasing additional jewelry.
“I fell in love with collecting,” she says.
As her collection grew, opportunity followed. In 2023, Malia was invited to showcase her vintage jewelry at a holiday boutique—an invitation that required her to seriously ramp up her sourcing. That first booth appearance quickly led to a full-fledged business, with Gem Box Groupie now selling online and at trunk shows around the country.
Naming the business came naturally. Along the way, Malia realized she had found not just beautiful jewelry, but a community. She met people—just like her—who spend weekends at antique fairs and vintage shops searching for the perfect piece.
“I’m heading to Maine to source with friends who share the same obsession,” she laughs. “Vintage has opened up a whole new group of people I connect with regularly to share ideas and finds.”
Calling herself “a groupie of sorts,” the name Gem Box Groupie felt like the perfect reflection of both the passion and the camaraderie behind her brand.
To Malia, vintage jewelry holds a special magic. “They don’t make pieces like they used to,” she explains. She loves cocktail rings and is especially drawn to old English designs—watch chains, old watch fobs with crests and stones, silver and gold ingots, which are engraved bars marked with the jeweler’s hallmark. “Finding unique, well-made pieces is the challenge—and that’s what makes it so rewarding.”
A writer by trade, Malia has spent her career freelancing for local magazines, with writing and editing always at the heart of her professional life. Her family has been fully supportive of this new chapter. “They know how happy it makes me,” she says. And beyond the business, she treasures the unexpected relationships it has brought into her life. “I’ve met so many kind, fabulous people I never would have met otherwise.”
When asked what question set her on this path, Malia doesn’t hesitate.
“During Covid, I felt so stuck,” she says. “I asked myself, What is something I can pursue that will open my world in a whole new way?”
Today, it’s the thrill of the hunt that keeps her going—and the joy of helping clients find a piece of history that truly speaks to them. “I love when someone discovers a piece that feels meaningful and personal. That’s the magic.”
✨Coming Soon – GemBoxGroupie.com
VentureMom Tip
Look to what you love—and let it guide you toward a pursuit that opens your world.
