Three years ago when most businesses were closing up shop because of the recession, jeweler Rony Tennenbaum was launching his. The business? A jewelry website that specializes in engagement, wedding and civil union rings for gay and lesbian couples.
''Nobody was doing that at the time,'' said Tennenbaum, who has been in the jewelry business for 25 years. ''And I knew that within 10 years the same-sex wedding industry was going to be booming as more states legalized gay marriage.''
A year after he launched the website, Tennenbaum opened a retail store in Manhattan. And recently, he created a training program for retailers who want to cater to the gay and lesbian market. "I am in talks with big retailers,'' about carrying my rings and learning more about the same-sex wedding market, he said.
''The entire industry is going to bloom and blossom,'' he said ''I think there is enough business to be had by many.''
