We asked 15 famous people to tell us about the one thing they bought when they hit the big time and got their first paycheck — the gift they dreamt of getting themselves one day and finally did. Here, Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Olga Dies Dreaming, tells us about the custom Nikes and gold jewelry she bought when she sold her first novel. Find more celebrity splurges here.
My debut novel sold when I was in Iowa City getting my MFA. So it was a lot of excitement, and probably in New York we would have gone and made it rain at a fabulous restaurant. But instead a couple of my classmates and I went to a kind of “fancy” diner in Coralville. It didn’t feel festive enough, so, like a true Brooklyn girl, I went online and made myself a custom pair of olive green Nike Air Maxes to mark the occasion. They had my initials on one heel and “BK” on the other.
Eventually, when I got back to New York, there was a fancy dinner — but first I made it rain at Popular Jewelry: a Virgen de Guadalupe piece and a Virgo signet ring. Essentially, I just fulfilled the yearnings of my inner 16-year-old. It wasn’t about Popular Jewelry the brand as much as it was a fun place to shop. A one-stop shop, you might say. There is no bling need or want that they cannot fulfill. If they don’t have what you are looking for, they will make it.
The Guadalupe is off rotation because the chain needs repair. (They also do repairs. It’s a wonderful place, Popular Jewelry.) But I do have other pieces from there that I’ve gotten since — my two besties gifted me a custom Cafe Bustelo charm for my birthday that they had made there. I think they sell them now.
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