Caravan Beads Blog » beadstore

Opening a bead store?

blog — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:04:15 +0000

Since June 1994 Caravan Beads has helped clients open bead stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Illinois, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Maine, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Iowa, Vermont, S. Carolina, Texas and Florida. In addition to thorough training in all aspects of operating a retail bead store, we can also provide parts of your startup inventory at competitive prices and tell you the best and most reputable places to go for much of your inventory.

Our training takes place during a 2-day (full days!) visit to our headquarters in Portland, Maine. The program covers all aspects of owning and operating a retail bead store. Here is a partial list of topics we cover during training:

* Advertising and marketing
* Bead store accounting and suggested software
* Inventory selection and display
* Sources for inventory
* Tracking inventory
* Employees
* Making beaded jewelry
* Selling finished jewelry in your bead store
* Classes
* Point of sale choices and decisions
* Pricing
* Plenty of time for questions and answers

If you are seriously considering opening a retail bead store and would like more information about our training, please call 800-230-8941 and ask for Barry. Email is quick, but it can’t replace a personal conversation. Before you call, please make sure you know the following: the population of your town or city; the population within a 20-minute drive of your prospective store location; and how many other bead stores or sources for beads presently exist near you.

We suggest that you talk to everyone and make sure you ask for references (the more the better) before you decide who to work with. If you can’t find other people doing the training and would like to compare what they offer and cost, let me know and we can point you to them.

More information on opening a bead store here.

Caravan Beads – Portland Retail Store

blog — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:39:20 +0000

Since 1991 Caravan Beads has been teaching customers to make beaded jewelry. Lots of people who visit us start out believing that they aren’t artistic or crafty enough to learn to put a piece of jewelry together. About a half an hour later they are making earrings and necklaces for their friends and family.

Because we believe that teaching beading is the best way to keep happy customers coming back to the store, we teach all basic beading techniques for free every day we’re open. We also offer evening classes for the customers who want a more structured learning environment or who want to tackle some more challenging projects.

We have a large selection of Japanese seed beads, Miyuki Delica beads (all 1000+ colors), Swarovski crystal, semi-precious strands, African and natural beads, clasps and findings, beading tools and all the things you need to make jewelry with beads. We also look for beads and pendants made by local bead artists so that we can keep bead-making growing in our community.

Learn more about upcoming classes and events on our website.

Caravan Beads
915 Forest Ave
Portland, ME 04103
207-761-2503 x 211

www.caravanbeads.net

Bead It!

blog — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:04:36 +0000

“Bead It! – worth the trip? You bet! As you walk in the door, you see
walls of strands: stone, freshwater and Swarovski pearls, glass, shell,
wood, resin – Czech hanks and fire polish – you name it! Then thousands of
tubes of Miyuki seed beads – all shapes, sizes, and colors. Five tables,
three tiers high, of beads (lots of Swarovski crystal), charms, and
pendants. One table is all sterling (including Bali and Hill Tribe),
gold-filled, vermeil, brass, copper, and gunmetal. Then there’s cord and
chain. And how we love beautiful findings – so many lovely clasps! There
are two worktables; we love to have people stay and make their jewelry.
Customer service is our most important product. Bead It! also offers
classes, kids’ parties, and gals’ night out groups. Come check us out!

Bead It!

146 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
Tel: 603-223-0146
email: donna@beadit.biz
www.beadit.biz

Directions:
Route 93, Exit 14
Turn left onto Main Street
Bead It! is on the left just a few doors down.

It’s the kid’s fault! or How we got into the bead business.

blog — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:02:26 +0000

We blame it all on Emily Rose! And every September when we celebrate another year in the bead store business, we thank her. In 2004, when she was 12 years old, Emily Rose started making jewelry and selling it at local craft fairs. The materials she used were genuine semi-precious stones and crystals, which were hung on a simple cord and sold as a necklace or bracelet for $4.00. Emily Rose did her homework—researching the healing and protective properties of each stone and typing up cards on the computer so that she could give one out with each purchase. Her jewelry was so popular that after a couple of craft fairs, she put $3,000 in the bank. It was her idea to open a bead store, and Colorful Creations Bead Company, Inc. was born. Emily Rose has been involved with creating the business from the beginning; working with realtors, bankers, lawyers, choosing the location and the inventory. A great education for a young lady! She is one of our instructors (specializing in chain maille), runs the cash register, repairs all broken jewelry for customers and is the hostess for Birthday Parties and Girls Night Out parties.

Ryan, our store manager, is the brains (and brawn!) behind the operation. He started with us when he was 15 years old. Our “computer whiz” keeps us running, and is also an instructor, specializing in wire and metal work.

Colorful Creations Bead Company is involved in many local, national and international charities. We are a Collection Center for the Open Pantry and Toys for Tots year-round, and have special Charity Days where we raise money in many interesting ways! Check out our website to see what is coming up. With our staff of 11 instructors, we teach over 100 classes and workshops, and are adding more all the time. We have classes in traditional bead stringing, seed bead projects, PMC, Copper and Bronze Clay, Dichroic and Art Glass, Polymer Clay, Resin and Wire Working. Internationally known artists, instructors and authors frequent our Studio for special workshops throughout the year. Offering the largest selection of beads, charms, Swarovski Crystal, tools, books and materials in Western Massachusetts, the bead shop is located in the Heritage Village Shoppes in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. We are known as “The Friendly Place To Bead” with our bright, spacious Studio open to folks of all ages and abilities interested in creating jewelry—we’ll have a cup of tea ready for you, and will be happy to help design and finish up the jewelry!

When she was 6 years old, Emily Rose announced to her parents that someday she would have a business called “Colorful Creations”. Her dream has come true—and has made a big difference in the lives of a whole lot of people!

Fund raising project

blog — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:24:59 +0000

From Dawn Davis owner of Simply Beadiful in Massachusetts:

Here is a project we are working on right now: The Shriner’s Hospital for Children located right here in Springfield, MA is in jeopardy of closing. There are 22 Shriners hospitals in North America. Right now 6 might close. My dad is a shriner, my grandfather was a shriner, and my godfather is now the Potentate of the Melha Shriners here in Springfield. (Your local groups would be Anah in Bangor, and Kora in Lewiston.) We are having a fundraiser with our “Beadiful Bloom” Bangle Bracelet that we are selling for $6 each and giving the proceeds to the Shriners Hospital in Springfield. We are trying to contact as many people as we can to spread the word. We want to help to keep the hospital open. The next closest orthopedic hospital is Nova Scotia or Pennsylvania. You can read more about this campaign on my website.