Pictured above: Robin Grossman’s inspirational view where she create jewelry for City Trends.
Robin and Russell Grossman have lived in their Paradise Valley house just since July 2018, but they have already put their own style into renovations and have made it their own.
“I’m so happy here I don’t want to move,” says Robin. “I grew up in one house in New York and until I left to come out here, it was always my home. Since I’ve lived here and I’ve been with Russell, going on 19 years, we’ve moved three or four times.”
The more than 7,000-square-foot home features five bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms, a guest casita, chef’s kitchen, Zen garden, zip line, pickleball court, putting green, negative-edge pool and walls of glass offering stunning views of Camelback Mountain.
Robin with her goldendoodles Whitney and Joey.
The two met at a bar in Scottsdale in 1997. “We both went to ASU, we were both from back East and the smallest worlds of all – my dad and his mom graduated high school together in Brooklyn – same graduating class,” says Robin.
“Her dad brings it up all the time,” adds Russell.
Russell moved to Arizona when he was a senior in high school and since college has worked with his brother. “He made me a partner when I was 19; I didn’t know he made me a partner, I think my father made him,” jokes Russell.
That was 28 years ago, and today BNG Enterprises Inc. is a successful company offering herbal body cleanses, health supplements and specialty products available at many major retail outlets.
Robin has had her own business ventures over the years including a baby clothing line she created when her two teens were toddlers. Now her focus is on City Trends (citytrendshop.com), a jewelry line that sports the tagline “Diamonds. With. Attitude.” and Best Kratom (bestkratom.com), an online herbal medicine vendor.
Her home town had a store called City Trends that catered to young adults with fun, unique items. “I feel like every time I did well in school or deserved something, I made my mom take me to the store City Trends,” says Robin.
When she was developing her jewelry line, a stranger bought a piece of jewelry off of her in a Target. “While I was driving home from Target I thought, ‘I have to tell my husband – you’re not going to believe this, but I think I really want to pursue this,’ ” says Robin. “ ‘He said, Great!’ He supports me in anything I do.”
The family thoroughly enjoys the pickleball court.
She went on a buying trip to New York, and since coming back the company has taken off – although you won’t see her pieces in any stores.
“I want to be unique,” says Robin. “I want to sell directly to my consumers and I want to know my customers. For me, customer service comes before the sale.”
It’s important for Robin that her jewelry be affordable. Sometimes people are skeptical that the pieces contain real diamonds and gemstones, but she assures them they are real.
“Here I have a product I feel is affordable, customizable and you can buy it for bat mitzvah gifts or something for that hard person to buy for,” she says.
Some of the items she makes herself. She finds it therapeutic and admits that creating jewelry often leads to other ideas.
She often does her jewelry-making at the long wooden dining table with sweeping views of Camelback Mountain and her goldendoodles Whitney and Joey by her side. She admits the area is her favorite part of the house. It’s filled with light and adjoins the kitchen where the couple does a lot of entertaining.
The family all love to play games, and Robin shares that she and Russell are “kids at heart.” They play ping pong almost every day and enjoy all the different activities that the property has to offer, from the sport court to the zip line. “We never have to leave – it’s all here.”
Some of the City Trends collection.
