Dive Brief:

• Adding to its retail footprint, Studs on Wednesday opened an ear piercing studio and jewelry store in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., according to details emailed to Retail Dive.
• Located at 3288 M Street NW, the 1,226-square-foot space marks the brand’s 19th store. Customers aged 18 and over can make appointments or walk in for piercings and shop from Studs’ earrings assortment priced from $10 to $160 per earring. Piercing checkups and jewelry change services are also available.
• Studs chose the location in Georgetown as it seeks out neighborhoods that already have a strong retail environment, attracting Gen Z and millennial shoppers.

Dive Insight:

With Studs’ latest location in D.C., company co-founders Anna Harman and Lisa Bubbers are bringing the brand's “Earscaping” experience to the neighborhood.

Studs describes Earscapes as “the art and science of personalized ear piercings and earring stacking, resulting in a form of unique self-expression.” As such, the company provides personalized piercing consultations that determine the most ideal piercing placements and earrings for a customer’s ear anatomy.

The brand offers over 250 earrings and piercing services start $35 for one piercing plus the cost of the jewelry. The company boasts celebrities such as Emma Chamberlain, Dixie D’Amelio and Rosalía as previous customers.

Studs launched in 2019 and has raised $30 million in funding to date with the hopes of disrupting the industry and modernizing the traditional “mall piercing” experience. The company's Series B funding round was led by Spark Capital with participation from existing investors such as First Round Capital, Lerer Hippeau and Thrive Capital. The company debuted online along with its first brick-and-mortar store in New York City.

“With traditional piercing retailers losing popularity and failing to meet the needs of today’s consumers, there’s a lack of brands in the piercing and retail landscape that prioritize healthy needle piercing, offer a trend-driven product assortment and accessible pricing,” Harman said at the time the company launched. 

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect Studs' total funds raised to date.