New national stores to open at Stuyvesant Plaza

— Photo from heyrowan.com

Rowan, which bills itself as offering “safe and celebratory piercings for all,” done by licensed nurses, will open this year at Stuyvesant Plaza.

GUILDERLAND — Three more national chains will open stores at Stuyvesant Plaza — one that does piercing, another that sells jewelry, and a third that sells women’s activewear.

The stores for piercing and jewelry were hailed as “women-founded retailers” in a press release from the plaza this week; they will open later this year on the north side of the plaza.

Rowan, which bills itself as offering “safe and celebratory piercings for all,” done by licensed nurses, was founded by Louisa Serene Schneider.

The Rowan website describes Schneider as a mother who is also “skilled in entrepreneurship, venture capital, asset management, equities, and capital markets.” When looking to get her own children’s ears pierced, it says, she found “the choices were limited to either an impersonal experience at the mall and tattoo parlors or an intimidating one at a doctor’s office.”

So she founded Rowan “for a fun, celebratory and safe ear piercing experience” for children as young as two months old. The stores also sell hypoallergenic earrings.

Kendra Scott jewelry includes “everyday essentials such as necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings and watches,” according to the release.

The jewelry company was founded by Kendra Scott in Texas in 2002. In 2016, according to Forbes, Scott sold a minority stake in her company to the private equity firm Berkshire Partners at a valuation of $1 billion. Scott stepped down as chief executive officer in 2021.

The Austin-based company has over 3,200 employees, the release said.

The Kendra Scott stores continue to host Kendra Gives Back events to benefit local nonprofits in the community.

The third new chain store to come to the Guilderland Plaza is Free People Movement.

FP Movement will open later this year on the south side of the plaza near the post office, according to a release from the plaza.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, FP Movement is part of Urban Outfitters Inc., which also owns Anthropologie — another store coming to Stuyvesant Plaza, on the north side between Peaches Café and Talbots.

FP Movement sells women’s activewear and accessories at 53 stores nationwide.

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