BeadStyle : bead shopping

More about Brea Bead Works

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:39:00 GMT

We ran a short Q&A about Brea Bead Works — our third "Favorite Bead Store" winner — in the November issue of BeadStyle. Here is the Brea Bead Works profile with the info we had to trim for space. Congratulations again, Brea Bead Works!

From the first time I walked
into Brea Bead Works and introduced myself, they remembered my name and have always been generous with their knowledge and kindness. I can’t say enough nice things about BBW!”
– Iris Stuart, Anaheim, Calif.

Almost 100 other customers agreed with Iris. In BeadStyle’s “Favorite Bead Store” competition, Brea received 96 votes. Below is part of our conversation with owners Scott and Wendy Remmers.

When did you open Brea Bead Works?
We opened in October of 2002 with 750 square feet. Today we have 5,700 square feet including about 3,000 feet for four workshop areas. The largest workshop is
used for metal workshops, glass fusing, and five stations for flameworking.

Why did you decide to open the store?

Both of us were going through career and job changes around 2000-2001. Wendy was a freelance graphic designer for various movie studios, catalog companies and design studios, and Scott was a marketing director in the movie industry. Jewelry making was always a passion of Wendy’s and after planning a business around that idea it was determine to open a store. The goal from the beginning was to pass that love of beads along to others and educate them on the endless possibilities it brings. The backgrounds of graphic design and business that we both had from our background made the store operate in a very well rounded manner.

Wendy operated the store with a staff for the first two years and Scott left the corporate marketing world and came on board in the third year since the business was in a very fast growth period. It was always intended that both of us would work the store to be it just took place sooner than later.

What kinds of classes do you offer?
We offer about 120 workshops a quarter that range from basic techniques, called the “Foundation Series” workshops, to weaving, stitching, wire wrapping, chainmaille, soldering, fine silver fusing, flamework, glass fusing, Art Clay Silver, polymer clay, and metals.

We feel very fortunate that our workshop program is in high demand with the customers. Our workshop program will usually have about 120 workshops per quarter. Most of them are held in the evening during the week but recently we started holding more workshops during the morning and afternoon hours and are seeing success with those.

We rent studio time for flameworking, glass fusing, and kiln firing. Our studio rental time is pretty much open during the day and in the evening depending on other workshops taking place at the time. We keep Tuesdays wide open for what we call “Late Night Tuesdays” when we stay open until 9 pm for the flameworkers to get at least one evening session of torching in.

When a new quarter of workshops is announced the customers will line up some seven to eight hours in advance to register. We think it is just plain crazy but the customers love tailgating, hanging out together and talking each other into taking certain workshops. By the time we open our doors that morning we will usually have some 80-90 people in line.

Usually there are around 1,000 seats available between the 120 workshops and 60% of the workshop seats are sold out on the first day of registration and more than 80% of the workshops will sell out in the quarter. We will also hold about 20 additional workshops to accommodate the sold-out classes.

Besides the 15 or so local instructors on our schedule, we have brought in many national instructors in all areas of beading. Some of the national instructors are:

Jack Berry
Ken Bova
Sheilah Cleary
Melanie Doerman
Christi Friesen
Sharilyn Miller
Ann & Karen Mitchell
Cindy Pankopf
Janet Pitcher
Margaret Zinser

We are lucky!! We know that there is not one particular thing that made this workshop program successful, if there is… it was our planning and understanding what makes for a good workshop, but really…there are so many pieces of the puzzle that just came together to create this program. We feel that our program is very good because we have cultivated it over seven years of being in the business and by talking to our customers, talking to many bead store owners and instructors on a regular basis. We don’t take business for granted!!

We belong to the ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers), Craft and Hobby Association, the national Art Clay Society and also are founders the local Art Clay Society of Orange County. So may being involved, attending shows and seminars it keeps us out the edge of the industry and that information can be given to our customers.

What kinds of beading/jewelry-making do you do personally?
Wendy has been beading for over 20 years. She is interested in all areas of beading. Metals have been an area of concentration for the last three or four years whether it is chainmaille, soldering, fine silver fusing or whatever. Her book “Make it in Minutes – Jewelry” came out about two years ago and shows off some 40 projects that can be completed in about one hour. This book as sold world wide and has brought attention to her and the store.

Scott enjoys flameworking and glass fusing. While these glass workshops are very popular there is an opportunity to help people start their own jewelry design businesses with the business workshops. We teach customers how to properly set-up a business and how to market themselves.

What are you most proud of?

That is a tough question to answer. We are proud of our staff! Their day to day commitment to serving the customer whether it is a new beader coming in trying to figure out what a crimp is or whether it is signing someone up for a workshop, they are there for the customer.

We are proud of our customers! Since day one they have been coming back and back. Hard times or not. Without them there would be no Brea Bead Works. They believe in us and the plan that we have set forth to do. We are open and honest with them about our plan of bringing in a good selection of product at a fair price, giving them the top-notch service they need, make them feel appreciated, and many times like family, give them education and allow them a place to escape and do what they enjoy.

We are proud of the fact we have networked with many bead store owners a crossed the United States and have shared information on about our businesses. Things like better customer service, marketing and promotional ideas, merchandising ideas, and just time to talk to someone who goes through want we do on a daily basis.

What is your customer service philosophy?

We strive everyday and we train our staff to be the better than anyone else. We spend at least three days of training with a new hire and explain our history, our philosophy and how to have an employee-customer relationship first and foremost. The main thing is we have never forgotten our mission. That is to serve the customer to the highest degree. When you walk in the door you are greeted usually by name, if you’re a regular, or with a pleasant “Hello” if your new to the store and always helped with enthusiasm. We don’t care how much money you spent that day, it is all about the relationship we have with our customers.

Our store is set up to have the sales staff out on the floor and out from behind any counter. We are never behind a counter waiting for someone to come to us. Customers are coming in to explore and see what is new! What better way to have a staff member showing you what is new since the last time you came in or helping you with color combinations.

With their purchase customers also get a genuine “Thank you”.

Do you guys sell at all online? Do you plan to in the future?
We do not sell online because our focus is the communities we serve in Southern California. There are so many resources out there for people to buy from and we would never be able to compete or give our best service to the e-commerce side of the business. Our total attention is spent to those walking in the door each day to help them with whatever needs they have that day.

How are you handling challenging economic times?
We are taking it one day at a time. As we all know retail has not been the same over the last year. What these hard times have done is made us analyze our daily operations to the bone and it has widened our eyes on something’s we should stop doing or things that needed to adjust. This has lead to cost savings for the store which enables us to pass those savings along to the customers.

One thing we’ve done is started a tote bag program, which helps us and our customers. We have given out tote bags made from recycled fibers at special events (or they can be purchased at the store). When the customer brings in the tote and spends $25 or more, they receive $1 off. It cuts down on the number of paper bags used and saves the customers money. Also, the bag entitles them to other special savings each month.

We are doing more trunk shows this year so that the product selection to the customer is broader and perhaps something the store would not sell on a regular basis. A “trends” presentation is given each season. This presentation of jewelry is made by the staff and shows off the hottest trends for that upcoming season. This display is the first stop in the store!

We have held two major bead retreats in the last year and half. In 2008 we had Bead Away – Hawaii in which 30 workshops took place over a weekend in Waikiki overlooking Diamond Head. Then in 2009 it was Bead Away – Las Vegas! Within those days of workshops is also a Bead Store Tour to pre-arranged bead stores in that area. The attendees just love to see the variation of product in each store plus it supports the local bead stores.

What is the most frequently asked question from new beaders who come into your store?
“You mean I can make that?” “I did not realize that I could make something without a lot of effort.”

Brea Bead Works
1027 East Imperial Highway
Suite D5
Brea, CA 92821
714.671.9976
info@breabeadworks.com
breabeadworks.com

Sometimes you feel like a nut

Cathy Jakicic — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:04:00 GMT

An attendee at the Knot Just Beads show last Sunday stopped by to show us her version of Rupa Balachandar's "Nutty but Nice" necklace on page 68 of the November issue of BeadStyle. Did something in the November issue inspire you? Send in a photo.

More about Lady Bug Beads

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:43:00 GMT

We ran a short Q&A about Lady Bug Beads — our second "Favorite Bead Store" winner — in the September issue of BeadStyle. Here is the Lady Bug profile with the info we had to trim for space.

Congratulations, Lady Bug Beads!

In her store, Lady Bug Beads, Susan Rabbitt has created a haven for beaders. “I always feel like I’m around friends. Everyone is helpful and cheerful,” said customer Carol Cook, from St. Louis, Mo.

That sentiment was echoed by the 102 happy customers who put Lady Bug Beads in the top six finalists of ’s “Favorite Bead Store” competition. Below is part of our Q&A with Susan.

When did you open Lady Bug Beads?
S.R.: We opened in August of 2003. I had been scouring craft stores and the few small bead shops in the area and was not able to fill my need for seed beads. With a lot of research and a business background, I decided to open the store. My husband — who is my biggest supporter — said, if you’re going to do it, do it big. So that’s what I did.

What kinds of classes do you offer?
S.R.: We teach the basics of stringing and earring wire wraps every day in our shop. Most Saturday mornings we have a free class. It varies from week to week, but it is always a technique that is a step above the basics. Our customers are welcome to watch and get free directions, or they can buy some beads and play along. This has become very popular; 6 to 30 people show up. We also teach the basic stitches by appointment for $25, including peyote, herringbone, spiral rope, square stitch, right angle weave and corralling. Our scheduled classes are more advanced seed bead projects taught by some of our employees and other national instructors.

Are you a beader? What kinds of things do you do?
S.R.: Of course I’m a beader. I can’t imagine anyone owning a bead shop and not knowing how to bead. I love to use seed beads. I compare beading to a good book — if it’s not thick enough it can’t have much of a plot, therefore if a piece of jewelry doesn’t take me 10 hours to complete it can’t be much fun!

What about Lady Bug Beads are you most proud of?
S.R.: I’m proud of the creative staff that I have and of the many customers who keep us on our toes to create more designs.

What is your customer service philosophy?
S.R.: We want to make everyone who walks in the door become as addicted to beading as we are. If we don’t have fun beading, they won’t.

How are you handling challenging economic times?
S.R.: I don’t consider the last year and half any more challenging than the first five years. The only way you can keep a business viable is to get people in the door. My main focus is to think of new marketing ideas to do that. We changed from postcard mailings to email blast about 1½ years ago. This was a big savings and also allows us to have an immediate sale or promotion. We have several different events through out the year. We have Open Houses three times a year. We have Bead Art in our parking lot twice a year. (This is when we give our customers a free space to sell their beadwork) We do a yard sale in July which is always well attended and we recently started doing “Green Bag” promotions. We also do periodic sales on different categories in the shop.

What is the most frequently asked question from new beaders who come into your store?
S.R.: The most frequently asked question is “Where do I start?” Since the choices are sometimes overwhelming to new customers, we suggest that they bring in a specific piece of clothing to match of something they have seen in a magazine. This helps to give them a focus.

Anything that you’d like BeadStyle readers to know that we didn’t ask?
S.R.: A unique thing that we do in our shop is to photocopy any of the finished pieces that we have so customers can use them as patterns. We are constantly creating new designs so there is always something new to inspire them.

   7616 Big Bend Blvd.
   St. Louis, MO 63119
   314.644.6140
   ladybugbeads.net
   ladybugbeads@sbcglobal.net

My favorites from the Bead&Button show

Jane Konkel — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:21:00 GMT

My favorites from the Bead&Button show

High Caliber Collar:
Rebecca Starry from Anchorage AK, entered her necklace in the Bead Dreams competition. She used a right-angle weave technique and huge bullets to make this stunning necklace.

Brenda Schweder, Cathy Jakicic, and Karin Buckingham:
Kalmbach book authors.

Robert Dancik:
Robert uses faux bone to make beautiful jewelry that reminds me of scrimshaw. He also makes crazy cool jewelry like the bracelet he is holding which is a series of plastic fingers. One of the fingernails is painted red. To view a trailer and clip for his workshop go to ccpvideos.com/r/dancik.

Celie Fago:
I am captivated by her work. And chatting with her was awesome. She has magnificent energy.

Bob Burkett:
The first time I met Bob was in Tuscon four years ago. I’ve admired his shibuichi pieces ever since. He’s got this unassuming personality and so much talent.

Spinner Rings:
These rings are Jill Erickson’s. I took her spinner ring class. I did not photograph the ring I made, because I didn’t finish it yet. Surprise, surprise.

Amazing View:
This photo was taken from the 8th floor of the parking structure attached to the Midwest Express Center. Milwaukee has some incredible views.

Charms and Found Glass:
I visited with Cathy Collison, owner of Glass Garden Beads. The tokens say things like, “Poughkeepsie & Wappingers Falls RY Co: and “This Token Awarded For Skill.” The glass pieces are cut a tumbled pieces from vases. You can see a project using Cathy’s bottle cap beads and found glass pieces in the July issue of BeadStyle.

Chain:
It was difficult to hold myself back when buying chain. Many vendors had a huge variety of really unique chain. The price was right on this chain from The Chain Gallery.

Green Girl Studios:
Each year I spend a few bucks with the Green Girls (Cynthia, Andrew and Greg). I adore them and their beautiful pewter pieces.

Have you seen this bead?

Cathy Jakicic — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:31:00 GMT

I'm currently working on a cool project by designer Ute Bernsen of Silk Painting Is Fun that uses silk cord (naturally), a beautiful Clay River pendant, a number of Vintaj accents, and some random small beads, including the one that's currently giving me fits - a copper knot. I was sure we had one like it in our stash, but I can't find it. Any ideas where I can get one?

Naomi at the JANY show

Erin Dolan — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:34:00 GMT

For the past few years, Naomi has traveled to New York for the JA Winter Show. Since she is in the Big Apple until Thursday, she asked me to link to her personal blog, where she recently posted about some fabulous finds at the JANY show. I can't wait until she comes back to the good ole' Midwest and shows everyone at BeadStyle her newest purchases and creative ideas!

Check out Naomi's blog to read about her time at the JANY show! And check back in at the Editor's Blog next week for more about Naomi's trip!

Turquoise, turquoise, or turquoise?

BeadStyle Magazine — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:34:00 GMT

You are shopping for gemstones. Hmm, how about some turquoise?

Your search leads you to many types of turquoise: Sleeping Beauty, African, Chinese, Viennese, Howlite, and Purple. What to choose?

Time for some serious research. And what you will find can be a little confusing.

African turquoise is really a jasper, so don't be fooled into paying turquoise prices.
Natural Sleeping Beauty turquoise is very expensive. And the prices are justified. This is some of the highest grade natural turquoise, mined in Globe, Arizona. The robin's egg blue color is unmistakable.
Chinese turqoise is real, but sometimes dyed or otherwise enhanced. It comes in several colors: green, blue, spider web, yellow and bright blue.
Viennese turquoise is a fake. Stick to Vienna pastries, but not turquoise.
Howlite is a borate mineral dyed to look like turquoise.
Purple turquoise is Arizona turquoise that has been dyed and eradiated.

The bottom line is to know your vendor. Reputable gemstone dealers will provide information on their website and be willing to answer your questions regarding the origin on the stones they are selling. If the description is scant, such as “turquoise beads for sale,” I would move on. If you are buying in a bead store, ask plenty of questions.

If you are selling your jewelry, you need to be able to inform your customers about the items they are buying. A knowledgeable seller will be 10 times more successful than someone who knows nothing about the materials they are using. Study gemstone handbooks, use online lapidary journals and look at lots of pictures. If you have the opportunity to handle the stones, get familiar with the feel, weight, color, and texture of the stones. The old “knowledge is power” saying is very true.

On the road to…Italy!

Stacy Hillmer — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:41:00 GMT

Well, BeadStylers, I am taking leave of you for just a little over a week. Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Italy with my alma mater’s wind symphony, a world-famous pianist, and a number of other alums and school staff. We will be touring Venice, Verona, Florence, and Rome both to see the sights and to perform at local venues (the symphony will be giving a total of four concerts). I am just tagging along as a tourist, so I’m hoping to get a chance to shop for some Venetian glass beads! Has anyone been to Italy before? Any bead-shopping suggestions or tips?

Did you survive the Bead&Button Show?

Stacy Hillmer — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:44:00 GMT

Last week was my first time attending the Bead&Button Show, and what an experience! It was fantastic to meet so many creative people and world-famous teachers and designers. And of course I had a blast shopping.

On that note, I made a number of rookie mistakes that I thought I would pass on to any of you planning to attend next year:

1) I turned my back on a strand of beads I was thinking of buying. I wanted to make sure I was committed to the purchase, and since you can’t carry around your “maybe buys” like you can in a store, I simply continued my shopping without making a note of the booth the beads were at. Never saw them again. Lesson learned: Always write down the number of the booth or circle it in your show program, even if you think you'll remember the approximate location.

2) I didn’t bring enough cash. Most of the show vendors take major credit cards, but only if your purchase totals more than $20. Since I was just picking up a strand here and a strand there, I often had to pay in hard currency, which quickly dried up. Lesson learned: Hit the ATM before shopping.

3) I carried around my class supplies, including a task lamp, in a tote bag while shopping. My shoulder quickly became tired, and I swear I am still walking a little lopsided today. Lesson learned: Store your supplies in a locker, your car, or your hotel room while shopping, but leave enough time to retrieve them before your class.

4) I wore fashionable rather than comfortable shoes. Not only were my feet sore while I was shopping, but standing around booths and teachers during demonstrations quickly became painful. Lesson learned: Your show shoes should be comfy and supportive.

Finally, a shout out to all the students of Lisa Niven Kelly’s ShaBangles class Saturday, 2:00-5:00 pm. Thanks for being such good sports about the weather and helping to keep panic-stricken tornado-phobes (that would be me!) calm. It was wonderful meeting all of you! How did your bracelets turn out?

Fair Trade Connections

Jane Konkel — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:38:00 GMT

This weekend in my neighborhood is the Westside Artwalk. I am honored to be displaying some of my tagua bead jewelry at Four Corners of the World. The jewelry is made with beads similar to the tagua sliced used in the necklace on the March cover of BeadStyle.

Four Corners of the World carries a variety of Fair Trade products, including: coffee, tea, chocolate bars, table cloths, gifty item for kids, finger puppets, musical instruments, carved animals, clothing, baskets, Putumayo World Music, purses, scented soaps and lots of beautiful jewelry.

Approximately 2.7 billion people in the world exist on less than $2 a day. Fifteen thousand children between the ages of 9 and 12 have been sold into forced labor on conventional cotton, coffee and cocoa plantations.
Fair trade is a system of exchange that seeks to create greater equity and partnership with people internationally through fair wages, public accountability, consumer education, cultural identity, and financial and technical support. Shopping at places like Four Corner of the World is a unique experience. The purchase of fair trade items is money ethically spent.

If you live in the Milwaukee area, or if you have plans to travel to Milwaukee for the Bead&Button Show (June 1st–8th). Stop and shop at Four Corners of the World.

Lovely Lucite

Jane Konkel — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:24:00 GMT

    I’ve been looking around lately at plastic beads and am intrigued by Lucite. It’s my understanding that Lucite was popularized in the 1930s by DuPont as an alternative to Bakelite. But unlike Bakelite, Lucite is remarkably lightweight and much less expensive.
    Beadin’ Path, beadinpath.com carries brightly colored, retro beads and I love the shapes of the beads at Chelsea’s Beads, chelseasbeads.com. I decided to look a bit on line. I especially like the dark chartreuse frosted German Lucite flower beads I saw at Bonkers For Beads, bonkersforbeads.com. I don't believe these are old beads and they were out of stock. But they had other colors in stock. When I was trolling around, many of the Lucite beads I found were vintage. At vintagecrystalbeads.com I spotted cornflower blue trumpet flower beads that I thought would make lovely earrings. Fire & Fibers, fireandfibers.com carries flower mixes. The pink and apricot mix looked divine and the yellow daffodil flowers were unique. Vintage Baubles, an etsy.com shop, has a funky assortment of vintage beads and findings including some vintage Lucite. Many of the pieces were made in the 1950s in Japan.
    Lucite reproductions are also available. Reproductions are usually less expensive than true vintage, but like the beads at Bonkers, very pretty none the less. If you know of any shops or sites that carry Lucite beads, drop me a line. I’d enjoy hearing from you.

What's New Wednesday 3.26.08

Jane Konkel — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:30:00 GMT

TierraCast has launched its Solutions for Large Hole Beads line of jewelry findings. This new line is designed to work with handmade glass beads and other large hole beads. The findings are made of lead-free pewter plated with precious metals.

Bead bars are designed for lampworked beads and come in four lengths, which allows for mix and match assembly of earrings, drops, and pendants.

Large hole spacers and caps can be used to string over thick materials like leather, ribbon, or cord.

The glue-in findings have a peg that fits into large hole beads.

The BeadAligners align and hold large hole beads on standard stringing material.

Look for TierraCast findings at your local bead store, or for store locations, visit http://tierracast.com/pages/orderinfo.html

Michaels beads on the move

Stacy Hillmer — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:13:00 GMT

I recently stopped by my local Michaels craft store, only to find some heavy-duty reorganization going on in the bead aisle. Beads that used to be displayed at various locations around the store were finally coming together in one area. A little research found that this is not just a local trend. According to michaels.com, their “bead walls” around the country will be getting a makeover. In addition to more centralized displays, their beading products will be organized by color and type, while sporting new packaging. Exciting news for craft-store shoppers!

Fun to be frugal

Jane Konkel — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:47:00 GMT

We’ve been working fast and furious around here on a special issue called UNDER $25. The issue will be coming out in May. UNDER $25 will have several projects that cost less than $25 to make, several projects that cost less than $20 to make, several under $15, and several under $5. It’s always fun to work on these special issues; it becomes clear that each of us has very different design styles. I’m also learning quite a bit. It has forced me to really be conscious about how much I’m spending on supplies and keeping receipts in order. It’s amazing when you do a little research how many great beads and findings you can find inexpensively. I found some beautiful Czech glass pearls and really neat hammered base metal components. I’ve also been scouring my newspaper for coupons for the craft stores around town. Of course when we list the prices for items in UNDER $25, we will list full retail price before coupons or discounts. Sure this endeavour has been a lot of work, but well worth it. I have found it’s kind fun to be frugal.

The challenge of buying gemstones online

Naomi Fujimoto — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 04:12:00 GMT

Shopping for the Under $25 special issue, we've been comparing notes on our purchases. We all love MIchaels, Jo-Ann, and Hobby Lobby, especially when we can use coupons. I also like Lima Beads because they sell half strands, which is a brilliant idea. I just ordered some faceted nuggets for a chunky necklace. One thing I'm finding challenging: even though I always have calipers in front of me when I shop online, it's hard to imagine how beads will look. Nothing compares to shopping at a bricks-and-mortar location — particularly for gemstones. Even though digital images are usually clear, it's hard to predict a strand's color, clarity, shape, matrix, etc. Even the size can be a bit of a crapshoot: for example, if I order 4 mm faceted rondelles, I have an idea of what that should look like, but I'm sometimes surprised by what I get. I think vendors are reputable, but it would be impossible for them to show the whole range of every gemstone they offer. Luckily many of them also have reasonable return policies. Do you have any favorite suppliers for gemstones? I'm always on the lookout.