A Charlotte jewelry brand known for waterproof, hypoallergenic gold pieces has planted its first flag in the Triangle, opening a storefront at 620 Rigsbee Ave. in downtown Durham. KIKI holds its grand opening Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., marking the company's first location outside its home base of Charlotte.
KIKI is based in Charlotte and has built its name on waterproof, hypoallergenic jewelry, according to Axios. The Durham shop's collection includes anklets, gold hoops, pendants and rings, the outlet reports. That durability comes from 18-karat gold-dipped and gold-filled finishes engineered to resist tarnish and water while staying gentle on sensitive skin, according to a separate Axios Charlotte report on the brand's Camp North End debut.
The Durham opening caps a rapid run of brick-and-mortar growth for a brand that started small. Founder Kristopher “Kris” Cox launched KIKI in 2020 as a pandemic side hustle selling polymer clay and gold-plated jewelry, later building a following through North Carolina vendor markets like Esther & Elsa. KIKI opened its first permanent storefront at Charlotte's Camp North End in August 2025, then added a second Charlotte location in the South End neighborhood this past spring, per the same Axios Charlotte account — making Durham its third storefront overall and its first outside Charlotte.
A Retro Look Inside a Densifying Corridor
Camp North End venue operators have described KIKI's retail aesthetic as “Henri Bendel meets Betsey Johnson,” a retro pink-and-green look the brand carried into its expansion, according to Camp North End's own tenant profile of the business. The Durham location sits within the Central Park District, a downtown corridor built around arts, dining and retail, according to The Rigsbee Collection. The same building at 620 Rigsbee Ave. already houses Nautical Bowls, a plant-based superfood bowl and smoothie shop that opened at the address in 2024, per Discover Durham.
KIKI's new neighbors extend well beyond its building. The store sits near GeerHouse, a multi-phase project delivering more than 400 residential units and street-level retail along Foster and Rigsbee streets, a buildout Hoodline previously reported continues to expand with additional apartment proposals downtown. Rigsbee Avenue has also long served as an anchor for Durham nightlife, with Fullsteam Brewery at 726 Rigsbee Ave. and Motorco Music Hall at 723 Rigsbee Ave. drawing crowds to the corridor for years, according to Hoodline's earlier coverage of the neighborhood.
Riding a Bigger Wave in Durable Jewelry
KIKI's expansion also tracks a broader shift in how shoppers buy jewelry. The global market for waterproof jewelry reached an estimated $1.95 billion in 2025 and is projected to keep expanding as consumers favor durable, daily-wear accessories, according to Fortune Business Insights. That demand has helped fuel KIKI's climb from a one-person pandemic project to three physical stores in roughly a year of brick-and-mortar operation.
For now, Durham shoppers can see the brand's retro storefront and gold-filled collection for themselves this Saturday, when the Rigsbee Avenue store opens its doors from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
