Owners' love for beading stems from young age

The hunt for new products and classes takes Glynna White and Lisa Kirkeby, co-owners of Beadoholique Bead Shop, around the globe every year to bring fresh ideas to the Northwest Houston market.

"We have to be innovative, and we have to put our heart and soul into it, because that's the only way we'll be able to stay in business and compete with places like Hobby Lobby and Michaels," White said.

More than nine years ago, White opened the first Beadoholique location at Louetta Road and Champion Forest Drive.

"There wasn't anything like it in the area, and so many beaders who came wanted another location," she said. "I was afraid someone would open next to me or close by, so I opened Bead Too in Copperfield."

Five years later, White moved the shop to Cypress Rosehill and Hwy. 290. She realized her stores were too similar with one another, so she partnered with her former roommate, Lisa Kirkeby, to give each location a different flavor.

Although both stores carry the same products, the Cypress location offers more products for metal jewelry making, a hobby Kirkeby picked up from her father.

"He was a silversmith and made things with wood, silver and turquoise," she said.

A love for handicrafts also runs in White's family, as she learned about needlework and quilting from her grandmothers.

"I've always had a thing for stones," White said. "I used to get my mother's costume jewelry and pry the stones out of it because I just thought they were the most beautiful things in the world."

Beadoholique offers a wide selection of products for crafters such as seed beads, clasps, tools, pendants and decorative beads. The women also offer several classes each week, so students can learn about different types of beading, including stringing, wire wrapping, embroidery, metal arts and more.

To learn about the latest beading trends, both White and Kirkeby read fashion magazines, visit websites, watch television shows and travel to jewelry shows.White left for a three-week trip to Hong Kong and Thailand in February, and both owners plan to attend the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee this June.

"Anything you can make jewelry out of, we're involved in," White said.

She also joined a national bead shop alliance several years ago, which allows White to stay in touch with similar business owners around the country.

"We have a passion for this, and our customers know it, because things are always new and exciting here," Kirkeby said.

Upcoming spring classes

• There are typically several classes offered each week at Beadoholique
• The Pretty Pippa's class teaches students how to make a Chinese knot to create a pair of earrings ($20)
• Students taking the Playing with Fire Redux class use a butane torch to make a bracelet with copper and silver ($35)
• A four-hour class, the Bead Embroidered Cuff lesson teaches students how to select a design, color and stitch for embroidery projects ($40)

Beadoholique Bead Shop, 14315 Cypress Rosehill Road, Ste. 110, Cypress, 281-256-0904, www.beadoholique.com