EVERY time she answers her cell phone while working as director of operations at the Russian Tea Room, Jennifer Oz LeRoy is advertising for her other job.
Six days a week, after she finishes her 16-hour day at the landmark restaurant owned by her father, Warner LeRoy, the 22-year-old goes to work decorating cell phones.
It’s becoming one of the most talked on gifts of the season.
LeRoy got the idea to prettify cell phones while at dinner with her family. “Everyone at the table had the same phone,” she recalls. “And so we decided we wanted ours to look different.”
So, armed with sparkling Swarovski crystals and plenty of glue, LeRoy and her friend, Jennifer Wallack, went to work.
The two started a company, Project Stud, to manufacture and sell the concept.
LeRoy’s Motorola features a Z, one of the letters in her middle name, which is an homage to her grandfather’s (director/producer Mervyn LeRoy) most famous film: “The Wizard of Oz.” The connection also explains her mother’s ruby slipper-themed cell.
Project Stud has since fashioned a Russian Tea Room phone, featuring the restaurant’s gold symbol on a red background, as well as those with ladybug, camouflage and sports team motifs – LeRoy says the World Series kept the pair as busy as Shea hot-dog vendors.
“The most outrageous was somebody who wanted a big dollar sign,” LeRoy says. “It was for a very glamorous, notable businesswoman who’s a Tea Room customer.”
Tea Room customers are quickly signing up for the studding service. Cost varies depending on how elaborate the requested design is and the size of the cell phone. However, LeRoy says most phones run between $50 and $500, according to how many of the costly faux jewels are used.
Since each cell takes about three hours to complete, the two Jens (Wallack’s day job is at http://www.farmclub.com, a multimedia entertainment site) have hired staff to help fill holiday orders.
Place orders through the Project Stud hot line: (212) 501-4482. Or, log on to http://www.projectstud.com. The company offers free pickup and can fill rush orders.