Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Bead Happy

Or... Bead Me Up
     Or... The Bead Goes On
           Or.... To Bead or Not to bead
                Or... or... or... on and on!

Bead shops have SUCH cute names!

We decided to find some cool bead shops while we were in Virginia Beach.  We found a couple of great shops and interesting owners.

The first shop we visited was Beads and Rocks - a very strange but interesting shop.  There were strands of beads EVERYWHERE on the rustic wooden walls of this primitive shop.  There were also rocks... really... rocks.  Michael loves rocks so he had a good time rooting through the rocks,   The display cabinets appeared to be antiques.  Very cool.  The floor was once-painted concrete - complete with cracks and wear. Fascinating place and unlike any bead shop I'd ever visited before!  No pictures though.  :(

We also visited  the Bead Cottage where the owner is a delightful woman who beads and dreams and plans to retire to Hawaii and bead on the beach.   One of the things that she does that seems SO smart to me is to offer free classes on Tuesdays (with a supply purchase for the class).  That's a win-win if I ever heard of one.



We were told that we HAD to visit The Bead Goes On- a very upscale shop with beautiful, unusual things that we wouldn't find anywhere else.  It was amazing!  Elegant.  Sophisticated.  Beautiful colors and textures.  BUT... very expensive.  If you are a wholesale bead buyer, their wholesale program is pretty good, but retail is pretty costly.  If you were making a special project, though, it would sure be worth a look.



Our favorite, though, was Virginia Beach Beads where we met Dale, who owns and runs the shop (until his wife retires).  :-)

We loved the look of the shop - soft blue walls, high ceilings and lots and lots of lights!

The prices were great - the service even better.  The shop was welcoming - and Dale was friendly and more than glad to chat with us.   We even bought some things there that we hadn't seen anywhere else AND managed a freebie!  Really!  Does it get any better than that?


Michael signed up for the Virginia Beach Beads newsletter.  If you'd like to get Dale's newsletter, you can sign up at dale@virginiabeachbeads.com.  And if you're in the area of Virginia Beach, be sure to stop in and say "Hi!"

I must say that I can't think of a better combination of beads and the beach.  I'm ready to go back!

Do you have a great shop where you can buy your favorite things? 

Yesterday's Virginia Beach post  (In case you missed it)

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