Tilla Accessories to open 3,200-square-foot Carytown shop March 20

Tilla Accessories is expanding into Richmond with a 3,200-square-foot storefront at 3144 W. Cary St., in Cary Court, Carytown, slated to open around March 20. The space was formerly occupied by Schwarzschild Jewelers, which relocated up the street, and Tilla signed a five-year lease for the larger footprint as its first expansion beyond Charlottesville.

Renovations are already underway to remake the Carytown interior to Tilla’s aesthetic, with the owners estimating $40,000 to $50,000 in work to redo floors and complete “other changes” throughout the space. Olson, who co-owns the Charlottesville store with her husband and will co-own the Richmond location with Ali Sevindi, said, “Maybe 90% of the place had to be torn down and rebuilt just to match our look.”

The Richmond shop will carry a wider selection of jewelry than the Charlottesville store while also adding home goods and decor. Olson emphasized the difference in positioning compared with the prior tenant: “It’s a very different vibe because they’re (Schwarzschild) more high-end, whereas we are focused on trendy, affordable, unique, cool, Mediterranean kind of jewelry.” She added, “In both stores our main focus will be the jewelry, but this store (in Richmond) will definitely have more cute home decor.” BizSense’s reporting lists lamps, rugs and crystals among the planned decor offerings.

An automated summary on Apple Podcasts further characterizes the inventory mix, saying the Carytown location will offer “trendy, affordable pieces from Mediterranean artisans and in-house designs,” language that aligns with Olson’s description of the brand’s Mediterranean-leaning jewelry.

The lease transaction involved local brokerage teams: Jim McVey and Todd Buttner of Commonwealth Commercial represented the landlord, while Matthias John of Wiley Real Estate represented the tenant. The deal and renovation set the stage for Tilla’s debut in Richmond, marking the company’s second brick-and-mortar after it launched as a vendor in Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall in 2017 and opened its first store in 2021.

Olson’s partnership with Ali Sevindi also ties the expansion to other local ventures; Sevindi owns Charlottesville restaurant Otto Eats, which is expanding into Richmond with a Manchester location. Social feeds and local forums have begun amplifying the move, with reposts appearing on LinkedIn, Instagram and Reddit as the store prepares to bring its larger jewelry assortment and curated home pieces to Carytown.