Business & Tech
Business Spotlight: Merah
A local woman quit her job to offer a stylish solution to allergic earring reactions. Her secret? A material commonly used in medical implants.
This week, we caught up with Meredith Budwin, owner of Merah, an earring company she runs from Romeoville, which began from her search of finding non-allergenic, stylish and affordable earrings.
Romeoville Patch: When did you get started and why?
Meredith Budwin: I suffer from a nickel allergy in jewelry and spent years trying to wear the latest earring styles, which left me with painful, irritated ears at the end of the day. I tried sterling silver, gold-plated, and other kinds of so-called "hypoallergenic" earrings, but none of them worked for me. Solid gold was my last attempt, but the prices were outrageous. After years of research and frustration with the lack of truly non-allergenic, stylish and affordable earring offerings available, I decided to quit my job and start my own earring company. I launched Merah (www.shopmerah.com) in April 2011.
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Patch: What types of products do you offer?
Budwin: Merah offers stylish and affordable nickel-free earrings to women with sensitive ears.
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Patch: How are your products different from other similar products in the marketplace?
Budwin: Merah provides stylish and truly hypoallergenic earrings at reasonable prices to women with sensitive ears. The secret: nickel-free earring hooks made from a material without impurities, like solid gold, but for a fraction of the price. Unlike metals used in other so-called “hypoallergenic” earrings found in department stores and boutiques, this nonreactive element is commonly used in medical implants.
Patch: How can people order/view your products?
Budwin: All of our earring styles are available for purchase on www.shopmerah.com.
Patch: As the holiday season approaches, are you offering any discounts or gift packaging or special promotions you’d like to share?
Budwin: We always provide free gift wrapping for our customers and we are currently offering free shipping on orders through the end of the year. Patch readers can join our mailing list for holiday sale alerts from Merah and we often run special promotions for our Facebook friends on www.facebook.com/shopmerah.
