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Beadworks
Rating Details »
Categories: Jewelry, Art Supplies [Edit]
Neighborhoods: South Street District, Queen Village619 E. Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 413-2323
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
8 reviews for Beadworks
So, I know that I have a problem because I seek out bead stores whenever I travel. It's an addiction, folks. There should be a 12 step group for crafters.
Anyhooty, this bead store is one of the better ones that I have been in selection-wise. I used to go to the Beadworks in Cambridge when I was in Boston for college but the one in Philadelphia blows that place away. This is a large bead store with a good selection of many types of beads: stone, ceramic, glass, crystal, bone and wood, etc.
There were some good strands up front for $15 or less so I was able to get a decent string of carnelian nuggets for $9 which is great. They had a nice selection of asian-inspired painted ceramic beads. Some decent metal beads and spacers. The selection fo findings was decent but I have seen better.
The staff was nice and helpful. I mentioned some metal found objects that I need to get drilled and they said that they could do that for me which is great. I have not found anyone in Chicago who can do that for me. When I am back here in February, I will bring them in.
I actually thought that the pricing seemed a little inconsistent to me. There were some things that I have seen at craft stores like JoAnn for less. On the other hand, I thought that a lot of their natural stone strands were pretty reasonable compared to a lot of other bead stores I have been in.
All in all, this was a solidly good beader's shop.
I have been to Beadworks in the past at their old location. This was my first trip to the new store. Every other time I have been there it was a good experience.
Not this time though. I will never be back again.
I was there with three of my kids this summer. My 9 y/o daughter was well into making some earrings when she asked to use the rest room. In fact, she had been so engrossed in what she was doing that she had waited until the last moment to say something about it (as in doing the potty dance). We asked to use the toilet and we were told by the staff that they did not have a rest room at all.
They suggested that we go down the block and use another business's bathroom! With the dam about to burst, I left about $50 worth of incomplete jewelry at the counter and wrangled my three young kids down the block to the hardware store, telling the Beadworks girls I would be right back. (The guys at the hardware store were awesome! No questions asked, even unnecessarily apologized for things being untidy! I purchased $12 worth of stuff I didn't need in gratitude!)
I was a little peeved by now (not believing they had no facilities at all) and wasn't going to go back, but two little girls with tears in their eyes twisted my arm.
Once back at the store we found the staff about half-way through putting my princesses creations back in the bins. This even upset my ever-forgiving girls. I expressed my dissatisfaction to the manager. She tried to explain that they didn't think we were coming back and that they can't let any non-employee use the rest room because of liability reasons. I didn't buy this, because any potential liability would more likely be incurred by an employee getting injured rather than a customer.
As I sat watching my girls put together their earrings at the work bench, assisted by the one decent and honest employee at the store, the manager opened a door right behind us exposing the pristine, uncluttered, liability-free bathroom.
I detest being LIED to. The uppity manager's I'm too important and beautiful to have to deal with things like this (or the pile of puke at the bottom of their front steps that they spent the whole time they weren't dealing with us talking about out how they could get someone else to wash away it because it was too gross for them to deal with) was undeserved by a dad with three young kids.
Stay away from this place, you probably are not good enough to set foot inside it anyway.
I just recently moved to Philly from Manhattan, though I would shop at Beadworks at their old location everytime I visited friends in the area. I've always found cool and different beads there, and coming from New York, that says alot. What prompted me to actually write a review is not so much their beads (although they're still great--maybe even better than I remembered), but how much I love the new employees and new store! No offense, but as a jewelry designer for many years, the whole "hippy" "I'm ignoring you unless you ask me a direct question" additude of the old location's staff was a little off-putting. I felt like I was bothering them. The new Beadworks is a complete and welcome 180! First off, the staff is gorgeous! I felt like I was being helped by a bunch of fashion models. I took my boyfriend in there with me one time and later heard him tell his single friends they needed to check out the "beadstore chicks" (his words, not mine). More importantly, they were really helpful, and went beyond nice by letting me view and purchase some of "the good stuff" as they called it, in reference to the hidden show merchandise. I walked out of my last visit significantly poorer. I strongly recommend visiting Beadworks, no matter how seriously you take jewelry making. The staff's enthusiasm is catching, and they will seriously help you at any skill level your at.
Back when Beadworks was on South Street I was there almost everyday during my summer breaks digging through the big treasure chest of beads they had in the back trying to find some super cheap beads I could make craft fair pieces with.
Now I'm there probably once a paycheck. The treasure chest is still there, but now it's all glass beads and available by the scoop only.
Having my own little online jewelry business I find that the materials I purchase from Beadworks go over better with my audience because of their natural style, texture, and array of colors. They are a bit pricey considering that I can buy a lot of the same materials online, but for me that defeats the purpose. Plus shipping and handling can be a bitch.
Their selection of natural stones is wonderful and you are able to buy things individually so you're not stuck with a whole strand when you only wanted five beads. They also have a good assortment of crystal beads, glass, wood, and even recycled beads. They are also one of the only local places that offer a wide assortment of sterling and gold clasps at reasonable prices.
The staff is great and they even offer classes for all levels. If you go at certain times you can even catch the little puppy strolling up and down the aisles.
You'd think that a place you make-your-own or DIY would be cheaper than buying them. Unfortunately that is not always the case.
When I have a little extra cash, it's always fun to kill a day with a friend at Beadworks making trendy necklaces. Stick with the small vile of beads to keep the total price down. If you are lacking creativity or time, Beadworks' talented staff sells their own creations, all of which will save you money rather than buying lookalikes sold at Nordstrom.
Just don't think about how Nova Ice right down the street sells similar pieces for 1/4 the price. At least now when you get compliments you get the added bonus of being able to say, "Thanks. I made it myself."
I've been making jewelry since I was about 15. Back then I shopped compulsively at Beadworks which was actually on South Street at the time. More recently, Home Depot is my new 'Beadworks' because I have been making jewelry with vinyl tubing, metal connectors and telephone wire. Now I'm using both the pretty stones, ethnic beads and silver wire I buy at Beadworks with all sorts of crazy hardware.
I love the selection at Beadworks but your tab can mount up very quickly because they sell a lot of beads individually. Like Caitlin says, I wouldn't necessarily make jewelry because it is cheaper than buying it but because you can make more individual and unique pieces when you are selecting the components and putting them together yourself.
We were looking for commercial space when GF and I went to check them out.
This shop is amazing! We spent time looking at all these little things made by peoples actual hands in far off places I'll never get to see.
Beads have such an amazing history from currency to trade to expression and art - this place really showed that well.
Looking around, we found a great flat type bead thing. We bought that, some supplies, lady behind the counter helped make into a necklace and I placed it on my gf's neck. All for $6 bucks. Wonderful experience.
Once upon a time, before I had a house to remodel, the GRE to study for and a million things to write, I used to craft. A lot. I mean, we're talking manic crafting--knitting, embroidery, decoupage, glass etching, and lots more. But my favorite may have been jewelry making, and there's no better place in Philly than Beadworks to get jewelry making supplies (there are, however, cheaper places). I have a bit of a magpie complex; that is, I am easily distracted by sparkly things and I must have them. When I walk into Beadworks, I'm like a magpie with ADD. There's just so much to look at and play with. From standard seed beads and Balinese silver to semi-precious stones and handmade lampwork beads, there's something for just about any project you can dream up. I tend to buy a few special, standout beads here, like the huge dichroic cabochon that I used as the centerpiece for my mom's xmas gift. Then I supplement that with smaller, less expensive beads from here, eBay or A.C Moore. It's a good way to keep the price tag down while still making unique, wearable art.
