Asbury Park Innovators Featured in Forbes
Soul Kraft Ink Art Gallery & Tattoo fronts think tank, reverse auction diamond site, & clothing line
Three Asbury Park visionaries have solidified the adage that a good idea attracts other good ideas.
They are Jason Elhomsi of Eatontown, Matt Roselli of Tinton Falls, and Justin Insalaco of Belmar [shown in featured photo], who launched Soul Kraft Ink Art Gallery and Tattoo Studio in October in partnership with their GrimeLordz clothing brand, and 3BDreams marketing think tank at 1315 Memorial Drive.
The Memorial Drive location sets them in the midst of the redeveloped Shoppes At Sunset Point, which also houses Local 130 Seafood market, Shape Shop boutique fitness center, Parkemoor high-end furniture and decor, and Booskerdoo Coffee & Bakery.
Now the 28-year-old trio is the focus of a Forbes article for their latest venture – Legemdary, an online boutique diamond experience that does away with the middleman.
“We found out, like any other antiquated industry that it probably wasn’t being run the best for the consumer,” Elhomsi said. “Like Dollar Shave Club, which figured out razors are worth a dollar, not $20, the same thing is true with the engagement ring market.”
Essentially, shoppers log on, create a custom ring, which is then sent out to Legemdary retailers, and await the bids.
The idea was sparked when Roselli set out to purchase an engagement. After receiving a range of widely varying quotes, they set out to ask questions of NYC’s Diamond District wholesalers.
“It validated what we thought was happening,” Elhomsi [at right] said. The price was being determined by the purveyor.
After solidifying agreements with a few wholesalers, they created the reverse auction platform.
“All the stones are GIA certified,” Elhomsi said. “We only deal with them because they are mined the right way and are the best quality.”
Legemdary is the fifth idea the trio have brought to fruition.
Their partnership began six years ago when Elhomsi paired Roselli and Insalaco together in order to pursue a sports sandal venture. And while that idea did not take hold, the trio came together for the 2013 development of Guidant Systems, a law enforcement support app subsequently adopted by The Department of Homeland Security and The Pentagon Force Protection Agency.
That idea sprung from Insalaco work as a Mercer County police officer. He’d joined the force at 19 and by 22 the inability to remotely access critical information, like policies and floorplans, from his cell phone had in collaboration with Roselli, a former advertising executive, and Elhomsi, who came out of financial marketing at Morgan Stanley and Newport Capital.
Today Insalaco is the only one who balances their varied ventures with a day job – working 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. three days a week with the same Mercer County police department.
The 3BDreams marketing think tank was a natural progression. launched to help others bring their ideas to fruition.
With Soul Kraft Ink, a collaboration made with veteran tattoo artist Oscar Garcia of Long Branch, they married a host of artistic endeavors that lends new meaning to the term mixed media. The boutique tattoo shop also showcases art and their GrimeLordz clothing line.
At 5 p.m. June 17, they will debut their new collection in partnership with an art exhibit featuring not only Garcia’s work but that of local artists. The event includes music, food and drink.
“We are trying to keep moving forward and change few industries,” Elhomsi said. “We are trying to make a global impact but we want to make sure we are still the local guys taking care of the community first.”
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