Lisa Rosenthal is currently the owner and president of The Alcea Collection and Party of Gold, but it wasn’t an easy path to get to where she is today.

Rosenthal is a Massachusetts native who suffered the same unfortunate consequences of many during our current recession. After 15 plus years in the financial services industry and many years prior in sales, she found herself without a job and the ability to make money to support herself and her then 3-year-old daughter. During that time period, like so many others, she lost her home, her car, her savings, her insurance, her mom and even to top it off . . . her cat. Although a severe hardship at the time, 3 years later she can say that this was a blessing in disguise. She is now owner and president of 2 successful woman-owned and women-run businesses.

As a single mom receiving no help with supporting her daughter, she needed to find a way to provide for her. She wanted to be sure she was going to be able to support her child and regain all of the essential things she had lost. She invested her last $2,000 to start her own business, Party of Gold. Party of Gold is an in-home party business designed to allow customers to host events, share their stories and exchange their unwanted gold for on-the-spot checks and/or calculate the worth of their jewelry. In just 3 years, she has gained over 200 Gold Specialists that represent Party of Gold. The company has purchased to-date over $50 million of gold from more than 250,000 women.

Having worked so many of these parties, Rosenthal admired how many women sold the gold that they had treasured for years in order to help with their everyday bills. Rosenthal and the Party of Gold specialists allow party guests to share their stories about the mementos they turn into wealth. Over time, Rosenthal has met many women that were looking for an economical way to satiate their love for jewelry and desire to stay current with the latest fashion trends. From this, The Alcea Collection was formed.

The Alcea Collection is a fashion jewelry outlet store, located online and in Middleton, Mass., that specializes in offering today’s hottest accessories at an affordable price. At the Alcea website shoppers can browse and buy a wide-array of costume jewelry.

It’s endeavors such as Party of Gold that have allowed women who may have found themselves in the same position Rosenthal was in a few years ago to overcome hardship and be able to provide for their families once again. Rosenthal’s companies provide women with another way to express their creativity and have fun, even during economic hard times.