Beading Makes Affordable Jewelry

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Photo by Linda Karn
(posted Nov 1)

For customer Anita Gehurng, the Sand Dollar Bead Shop's location at 7615 Crawfordsville Road has proved to be "dangerous", since it is on her route home from work. Gehurng started beading because she could not find fashionable jewelry to fit her comfortably. She also likes to bead after work to help her unwind.

Owners Jane Anderson and Stacy Froman celebrated their fourth anniversary operating a retail store on October 17. Froman introduced Anderson to the beading hobby and later the two ladies decided to build a business from their passion. Froman expects the beading business to remain strong this season because people are looking to make affordable quality gifts. The handcrafted items give the gift more meaning because of the passion involved during its creation.

Anderson said many beaders are also quilters, lacers, or scrapbookers. Gehurng said the first time she met Anderson and Froman was at Micheal's looking at scrap booking material.

Anderson has created her own necklace that she had copyrighted. The women offer individual or group classes. The store has a variety of beads from all over the world. The Austrian Swarovski Crystals are popular.

Froman explained the beads differ from country to country; coming from Czechoslovakia, Germany, Italy, and Japan. "Japan Seed Beads are high quality," she said. High quality beads are necessary to prevent cracking and breaking. Low quality beads are often irregulars or lack holes making it difficult to follow a pattern.

In addition to beading supplies, the owner's offer classes. The November 8 class theme is Bead and Breakfast, beading miniature Christmas ornaments. Customers can buy kits and instructions for $10 if they can't make a class.

Anderson said the annual beading retreats are also known for the good food served, and the September 2009 retreat is already half full. In 2007, the beaders held their retreat on a cruise and in the 2008, the retreat was at Shipshewana, Indiana.

"It is all about the food," Anderson quipped, noting their retreats always receive high remarks on the survey for serving good food.

Froman feels the business name Sand Dollar was destiny. Froman said they were walking on a beach in Maine trying to think of business names when she stumbled across an unbroken sand dollar. Froman and Anderson continued their walk still trying to think of names when Anderson discovered an intact sand dollar. Froman said it is such a rare to find shells and sand dollars intact because of the rough sea conditions that she took it as a omen for the business name. The two ladies have returned to the same beach, but have never found an intact sand dollar since then.