MB Addis & Co
Photos By: Emma Highfill
Sometimes, the stars align and send you a message. That was the case for Shawnee Heights and Washburn University graduate Michele Billam about a year ago, as she was going through the pandemic like much of the rest of the world, working a ton of hours on Zoom. A 15-year veteran of the corporate jewelry industry with positions at Zales, Helzberg Diamonds and Louis Vuitton, and lots of international travel, she had a vision of returning to the capital city and opening a store that would reinvent retail jewelry.
“I just had this strong feeling that I wanted to do this now,” Billam said. “I felt like the time was right.”
So, she put plans in place to make it happen, and on Sept. 25 held the MB Addis & Co. grand opening at 923 S. Kansas Ave.
The story gets more interesting.
This location is on the same block as a former jewelry store owned by Margaret Addis who Billam said was the first woman jeweler recognized in the United States when she started into the business in the early 1900s.
Billam was so blown away when she discovered Addis was from Topeka that she named her store in part after this amazing pioneer of the industry. The MB is Billam’s initials.
“It’s a really cool feeling to know that I’m sort of back doing this thing that this area was already known for,” she said. “It was pretty significant in 1906 to not only have a woman entrepreneur but also someone in the jewelry industry, which was a very traditional industry at the time.”
With MB Addis & Co., Billam is going for a modern approach and an upscale shopping environment that focuses on the customer experience along with having a large selection of diamond, gemstones and jewelry.
“It feels amazing when you walk in the door,” Billam said. “It’s light, and it’s bright. We’re in a historic building, which has been really fun. The store feels very open and inviting. It’s meant to be very engaging, a place you pass on the street and you go, ‘Oh my gosh, that looks amazing. I want to go in there.’”
The new business offers a bar with a complimentary cup of coffee or a glass of wine while you shop. It also provides a complimentary ring cleaning.
Additionally, Billam said her store stands above the rest because of her expansive jewelry knowledge, experience, connections to the right people and access to a large curated assortment of suppliers and manufacturers.
“I’m really looking forward to building this business and getting involved in the community,” Billam said. “It has been really amazing to return home and sort of give birth to this dream here.”
