Earlier this week we interviewed Riva Precil, the mind and hands behind “Love, Nyri”, the online jewelry store. Her jewelries are very artistic and the Haitian culture seems to have an important influence in her work. She currently lives and works in NYC. For Riva the most important ingredient in the entrepreneurial success recipe is passion. We hope her story will inspire those of you who have entrepreneurial dreams.
AYIBOPOST: Hi Riva. We know you’re a woman of many talents and interests. Why don’t you start by giving us an introduction of Riva and what she does?
RIVA: I am an artist. I’m a singer, dancer, jewelry designer and most recently a children’s book author. I’m of Irish/Russian and Haitian decent and was raised predominantly in Haiti, which is where the bulk of my inspiration stems from. I strive to follow my bliss in everything I do.
AYIBOPOST: Amazing! That is a lot of great and interesting things. Today we will try to focus on Riva the entrepreneur and the Jewelry designer. So tell us how and when did this passion start?
RIVA: I started beading and crafting at a very young age in Haiti. I was always drawn towards fashion and would often experiment and have fun with my appearance choices. I liked to wear bold pieces that stood out and were out of the ordinary. I always expressed myself artistically. When I moved to New York as a teenager I decided to take a jewelry making class to perfect my craft. I began wearing more and more of my own creations and lots of friends began to offer to buy them from me so I took them up on their offer and that’s how my journey as an entrepreneur/jewelry designer began.
AYIBOPOST: You live and work in NYC now and this city seems to inspire quite a lot of artists. How much of your designs are influenced or can be attributed to the Haitian culture which can be quite inspiring too?
RIVA: The vast majority of my inspiration does come from Haiti and its uniqueness but it’s also influenced by the rich culture and expressivity that surrounds me in NY. I pull inspiration from everything around me, including nature, cities, emotions, the universe, even a song.
AYIBOPOST: Do you already sell or plan on selling your pieces in Haiti?
RIVA: Yes, I definitely have big plans for selling my merchandise in Haiti. So far, I’ve had a few trunk shows which were quite successful but I don’t have my pieces in any stores there at the moment. All in due time.
AYIBOPOST: LoveNyri.com recently had some major changes. On July 1st you introduced the brand new website, which is great btw. How long it took you to implement these major changes? Why did you decided to drastically change the old version of LoveNyri? Walk us through the process…
RIVA: Indeed we have gone through some major changes! Thank you, I love the new site, it’s much more digestible and has easier navigation options as well as a fabulous new line. I recently partnered with a company called “Ciel Partners” who has helped me rebrand Love, Nyri and we decided as a team that a fresh new look would be beneficial for our success. I wanted new pieces to accompany the new site to really have a fresh start and give more summer/fall options. So far it’s doing really well!
AYIBOPOST: When analysing your customer base would say that the haitian community has been supportive Love, Nyri or not?
RIVA: Yes, very much so! The Haitian community has undoubtedly been very supportive of Love, Nyri as well as the international community. Our clientele varies quite a bit, but many of my followers and friends on social Medias come from the Haitian community which I love and appreciate deeply.
AYIBOPOST: Great! What have been your biggest mistakes in the process of setting up this small business? And what were the best decisions you took? And what have you learned from this great entrepreneurial journey?
RIVA: So far I don’t think I’ve made any major mistakes (knock on wood). It’s all been a learning process and continues to be just that every day. I think it’s important to understand that one must give in order to get back. I’ve learned the importance of investing in my endeavors and doing everything with passion and nothing less. I am lookingforward to watching my company grow and expand in positive ways. I started on my own and I now have a great team working with me and that makes all the difference.
AYIBOPOST: Great we wish you the best! And we hope Love, Nyri will keep on growing! We are amazed by your jewelries and hope you will keep up with the great work. But one last and probably the most important question of this interview. Who do you think will win the world cup? lol
RIVA: Ha!!!! I’m not sure who will actually win but I am rooting for Argentina in honor of my late father.
We know you wish the interview was longer right! Guess what dear readers we have great news for you. You can keep on learning about Riva and her art. Go ahead and visit “Love, Nyri”, we are sure you’ll be amazed as well.
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