Beads on Parade

I used to love beads when I was little and this store is so reminiscent of my bead-​threading days and is such a gem of a little business. Unfortunately for starters the store is right at the end of the Mall past the Coles and can barely be seen. It is also really small and quite dark and you can see how it doesn’t get much foot traffic from the Parade itself. HOWEVER, I was really impressed by the tone of the store and I think they would be very successful in their little niche market.
Beads on Parade has a good range of beads all organised so prettily in little clear boxes which you are free to browse through. They have a selection of Swarovski and fresh water pearls if you are after something with a little more bling too. Best of all they can host birthday parties (how cool would that be) and you can take lessons there on the spacious table at the back of the store. It was closed for a long time over the Christmas period, but look out for it now.

I love beading, I hate paying for beads though because it just seems so unreasonable what the beading places charge for little bits of plastic. Ok some of them are glass and some are Swarovski crystal and some could be actual pearls, still.
If you haven’t the faintest idea about beading then I’m just going to give you a little bit of know how so that you don’t feel like a complete idiot when you walk in, never a good feeling. You will need crimps (soft metal rings), catches, threading material and finally beads, probably some flat pliers too for crimping. I know that you can make jewelery instore, not a bad idea to talk to the staff and even get them to demonstrate anything you’re not sure about, I know these guys are always happy to help.

As far as Bead stores goes, this offers plenty, but nothing out of the ordinary. It has a cosy feel about it and if it weren’t for the special/​discount baskets on the ground outside the store, you might not know it’s there.
The store pride itself on great service and the staff are certainly passionate about their craft. You can wander in peace or pull up a spot at the worktable and start creating. Staff will get involved and offer advice if you ask.
One bonus is you can bring in old pieces and ask them to help you fix them up or modernise them.
Definitely worth stopping in if you’re in the neighbourhood. It’s at the playground end of the Parade Mall, diagonally across from Coles Norwood.
If you’re on Facebook, it’s worth liking their page where they list all their new stock and specials.