If you’re wondering where Don Purcell’s Southern timbre came from, it’s via Ridgeway, Virginia. Population 200. Purcell is the owner of the best new jewelry store in Atlanta. His eponymous shop is called Don Purcell and peeks out over the outdoor dining area at Le Bilboquet in Buckhead Village District. It’s prime real estate. But it’s a far cry from small town Ridgeway.
“Mom’s still there. Brother still works at the beef jerky plant,” he says matter-of-factly about his beloved hometown. Purcell grew up the middle of three brothers to a loving father who owned a hardware store and a stylish mother who assisted the person who bought all the textiles for the furniture for American of Martinsville. “We had a house full of amazing furniture and beautiful fabrics,” he shares. With two parents in retail and textiles, it’s no wonder Purcell ended up running the best new jewelry store in Atlanta.
But let’s go back to the beginning. “I learned from my mother that nice gets you a lot farther than not nice. She also taught me how to deal with people,” says Purcell. As a young man, Purcell attended Coastal Carolina University near Myrtle Beach for art school and took printmaking. “I don’t know what kind of job I thought I would get!”
He eventually moved to Charlotte, NC, and got into the shoe business working for Bob Ellis shoes. It was working at Bob Ellis that Purcell became friends with the owner’s son, Jeffrey Kalinsky. Purcell moved to Atlanta and worked at Jeffrey in Phipps Plaza. He ran the luxurious store as the General Manager from 1996 to 1999 Jeffrey asked him to move to New York City and open the Jeffrey store there. He ran that store from 1999 to 2007. Yes, the store that was made famous on Saturday Night Live. “We were the toast of the town. Met every celebrity,” he recalls fondly.
Purcell worked for Jeffrey through the 1996 Olympics, 9/11, the NYC Blackout, four presidents and countless other happenings over a quarter century. Then on March 17, 2020, COVID-19 closed the store. Purcell was still going to Phipps Plaza to work with a skeleton crew the next couple months fully expecting to reopen when the world came back online. And on May 1, Kalinsky called and asked if Purcell could sit down. The jovial GM was on his way to the store in Phipps Plaza, just like he had every week for 25 years. “I sat down in the hallway of my building. He told me we were never going to reopen. Never. Ever,” he recalls.
Purcell was shocked. He thought he was going to work for Kalinsky for forever.
“I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do,” he thought.
All the stars aligned—and there are too many God winks to count in his story—and he opened this jewelry box boutique in September 2021. Kalinsky has been a mentor and a friend throughout the process giving him incredible advice and support.
Not that you’d expect anything less, but the jewelry carried at Don Purcell is a mix of best-sellers and designers that aren’t anywhere else in Atlanta. Think Melissa Kaye, Marie-Hélène de Taillac and Eva Fehren (who will do an instore appearance January 27-28, from 12-6pm). Even the Ashley Longshore art on the walls—no one else has her work in the city. (Psst! Catch her new work at a pre-Valentine’s Day event on February 10 in the store to preview the art and pick up something for your true love.)
“I wanted this to be a colorful and happy place. Ashley’s art breaks the ice,” he says. Most traditional jewelry stores are quiet and there’s nothing on the walls. It’s intimidating. That is not the case here. “We all need a lot of happy color in our lives right now,” he says.
Agreed. That’s what makes this place so special. And it’s the embodiment of joy and getting back to good times again. Here, I ask the owner of the best new jewelry store in Atlanta about his Southern upbringing, his favorite high-brow and down home dishes and more.
Where do you live now? Purcell currently lives in Midtown Atlanta. It’s very different from my Virginia hometown of 200 people in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
What makes your life Two-Sided Southern? Love going home to Virginia to reset and visit my family but also love the glamour and stress of running my store.
Are there any Southern fashion designers you admire or adore? Patrick Kelly RIP. He was from Vicksburg, Mississippi. And Tom Ford, he’s from Austin, Texas.
What is something your family would do growing up that you loved? Parents putting me and my brothers in the back of our old station wagon and driving us across the US. We did it three times! I’ve visited 48 of the 50 states. My mom has pictures of us in front of all “welcome to” state signs.
Was there any place in your hometown that was distinctly Southern? My dad’s old timey hardware store. It was our family business. I worked there summers as a kid and that’s probably where I got the retail bug.
Favorite high-end southern dish you love: Shrimp and grits
Top down-home Southern dish: Cornbread baked in an iron skillet
Favorite high-end, hoity toity dessert/sweet: Opera Cake
Best low-brow dessert/sweet: Goo Goo Clusters
Favorite high-brow restaurant in the South: Chops Lobster Bar
Can’t miss low-brow restaurant in the South: Zesto
Favorite high-end fashion store: Jeffrey 🙁
Best low-brow fashion store: COS / H&M
Southern dish you always serve at Easter or summer barbecue? My mom’s macaroni salad. It’s legendary.
What are some Southern cliches that you totally embody or subscribe to? Being gentile and nice will get you much further in life.
Favorite sports team: “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” I think drag (death drops!) is a sport.
Favorite drink at a tailgate: Margarita
Are you a theater or concert person? Concert
Do you have a high-end fave and a low-brow fave?
Both. Madonna never disappoints live. And, B52’s still rock their asses off live!!
Most eccentric Southern person you know: I know A LOT of eccentric people. Not sure they would like to be described as eccentric so I will not kiss and tell.
What are some misconceptions you’ve encountered about people from the South? I think people still equate a Southern accent with somehow being uneducated or lacking social graces.
As a result of all the above, Purcell’s gallery of modern fine jewels, art and luxury gifts all come together to make it the best new jewelry store in Atlanta.
