Charmed bracelets: two West Hulls sisters have seen their business distributing Italian jewelry boom after attracting the attention of celebrity neighbors. (Small Business).

ON a visit to Italy three years ago, Ivette Helfend was mesmerized by the thin charm bracelets she saw on the wrists of Italian women. The hand-painted charms on stretchable stainless steel links depicted soccer balls, the Italian flag, hearts, precious stones and names spelled out in 18-karat gold letters.

Helfend said, "I knew people here would love them."

She spent the rest of her vacation seeking out manufacturers and distributors of the metallic baubles. Finally, Helfend met face to face with the bracelet makers.

"They said they didn't have any deals here (in the U.S.), so I just jumped," she said. "Immediately I called my sister and said, 'I found what our next business will be. It's Italian bracelets.' She couldn't believe it, but she said, 'Let's do it."'

Helfend, a 35-year-old mother of two, and her sister Gina Eckstein, 36, with three children, had worked together before: They had a gift basket business that was suspended five years earlier when the two started their families but this, they decided, was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"We knew we wanted to start the business and we hoped we would do it right," said Helfend.

So, with an initial $2,000 investment, Helfend and Eckstein started Linx & More Inc. in 1999, selling the Italian bracelets from Eckstein's West Hills home.

The two started slowly. Nevertheless, their first year the two grossed about $370,000; last year, $8 million.

With their first shipment, the sisters began hosting parties at their friends' Valley homes to market their wares. Like sellers of Tupperware plastic food containers, the sisters steadily sold their so-called "composable" bracelets to their families and friends. The bracelets retail for between $60 and $400, depending on the charms and ornaments used.

Hosting parties at as many as a dozen homes a week - including their own - the sisters realized they needed help, and more room.

"We had people going in and out of our home and it was turning into a madhouse after six months," Eckstein said. "So we moved into an office where we could have a larger staff handling things for us."

And they hired their first employee, one of their children's preschool teachers.

One of their first customers, unbelievably, was actress Heather Locklear, who lives in nearby Westlake Village. That led to sales to more celebrities which, in turn, attracted the attention of People Magazine last year.

The magazine profiled the sisters and their business, and provided even more star power. Suddenly, the likes of Jodie Foster, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jennie Garth were seen with Linx & More charm bracelets.

"When Venus Williams won Wimbledon and she was holding that Wimbledon trophy (last June), people could see the bracelets on her wrists and that really helped sales," Eckstein said.

Now with a staff of 12 employees, the company has its jewelry in dozens of retail outlets including pet shops, jewelry stores, department stores and New Age shops. Resellers who operate kiosks at malls are among their best clients.

"We were lucky that we got people who really wanted to get into the business and who really liked the merchandise," Helfend said.

Peggy Stevens, owner of The Apple Cart gift shop in La Canada Flintridge, said she was impressed by the sisters from the beginning.

"One of the things I really liked was that they always called me back. They are very service-oriented," she said.

"The bracelets were very cutting edge and very current and that attracted a lot of people," Stevens added.

Alfred Osborn, director of the UCLA Anderson School of Management's Price Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, said the sisters' success demonstrates that entrepreneurs can thrive even in a weak economy.

"They have a fashion accessory that makes people feel good about themselves and they're selling it for a good price. It's a very good strategy," he said.

"It's an advantage to have a product from Italy that's successful there and, if the company has good working capital and can handle a revenue cycle, it will be successful."

The company's Web site, linxandmore.com, has driven sales ever since the enterprise was founded, allowing customers to customize their bracelets online according to their tastes.

"The best thing about these bracelets is that each one is unique and people can create their own," Helfend said.

Today the company is fast outgrowing its storefront office in West Hills and Helfend said they are now looking for larger quarters.

The sisters, who grew up in Mexico City the children of a jewelry store owner father and a former fashion model mother, say they owe much to their parents.

"They always encouraged us and told us to never give up on our dreams," Eckstein said.

"And we haven't."

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Linx & More Inc.

Year Founded: 1999

Revenue in 2000: $370,000

Revenue in 2001: $8.5 million

Employees in 2000: 2

Employees in 2001: 12

Goal: To sell customized Italian bracelets to a broader base of customers in the U.S. and abroad

Driving Force: Demand for personalized, high-quality jewelry