Sisters Susan Logsdon and Amanda Helman started Golden Gems in 2016 headquartered out of Amanda’s living room. Starting with lots of long nights and just 8 products, the Golden Gems gals quickly gained a local following through Etsy and opened up their first brick and mortar in a small shop on Cherokee Street in South St. Louis City in 2018. Over the next few years, Golden Gems experienced such rapid growth that Susan and Amanda tripled their product line, grew their team with 18 new employees, and quickly outgrew that little 1200 sq. ft. shop on Cherokee.

As the Gems brand growth continues, we branched out in December 2023 to the bar industry, and opened our one-of-a-kind disco dive bar, Hidden Gem, just two doors down from our flagship Locust HQ in Midtown St. Louis. The bar features 300 disco balls above the dance floor, and offers an inclusive space for the surrounding community.

As we look to the future of Golden Gems, Susan and Amanda continue to focus on growth with our wholesale partners, local shoppers, and online customers across the U.S. and globally - encouraging everyone to live life like a badass.

Hi, I'm Susan! My role at Golden Gems has evolved over the years from doing a little bit of everything to being able to focus on creative and product development. As an artist turned business owner, I've learned a lot as we have grown, mainly to not take it all so seriously, and life is hard so let's try to have some fun in the middle of it. I love the unpredictability of my day to day schedule and I think I thrive amidst the chaos. My favorite thing is listening to the chatting, laughing and sometimes singing of the team from another room throughout the day. We genuinely like each other and I think it is the neatest thing to be able to work with people who care for each other. I have recently become a Swiftie and I have accepted it. I love an assembly line, working fast, and getting shit done. I have to set a time limit on my phone when I look at TikTok because it sucks me in and I lose track of time....my For You page is perfectly curated with cute cats, Taylor Swift and beach sandwiches. I fell at work one time and, in true sister fashion, Amanda saved the security footage, still has it on her phone, and does not hesitate to whip it out for some laughs. I like to play chess and am pretty ok at it. I love jigsaw puzzles, coffee, crafts and wheel of fortune.