The Bead Shop

I stumbled upon this shop after I pigged out at Torchy’s Taco’s. Even though the construction and traffic on Shepherd was at an all-​time «ick» point, I still managed to get to this charming building.
I was not ever greeted when I walked in, and I was 100% okay with that. I sometimes feel awkward when I have to make small talk, and I preferred the quiet shopping experience. I felt comfortable to ask for help if I needed it.
The Bead Shop is relatively small, or at least feels like it, but they make use of every single inch of space. The store is color-​coordinated and has beautiful, really nice already-​made pieces. I saw a dad there with his little girl, helping her pick out pretty beads for the lady at the side counter to turn into a bracelet right then and there.
I did not quite find what I was looking for (an assortment of semi-​precious gem stones). They had them, yes, but I found more crystals and pearls, and that is perfectly okay. I would still recommend this store for the pre-​made pieces or even for people like that dad wanting to make unique pieces for his loved ones.

Great selection, okay service, terrible quality, product broke several times on the way home, would leave five stars for super glue

This bead shop has A LOT of choices to offer in the bead category! Hanging from the walls, spread across the table tops, in drawers, it can get a bit overwhelming so plan to spend some time there in order to find all your favorites. Prices are pretty reasonable.
Step in here to begin a crafty afternoon of beading!

Ok I’ve had a change if opinion, after all that they went beyond to accommodate me, and it is Perfect !!!
so I will be back, thinking I went there in a funky mood to begin with and it really wasn’t there fault, sorry Bead shop

As a jewelry maker. This shop does have good beads. But customer service was terrible. Completely ignored me & my bf. did not say hi. Did not even say thank after we bought there beads and spent a good amount. We like to support local shops. This one is just one I won’t go back to.

Sadly I cannot give a zero rating or I would. Went in here with intent on spending some major money. I was in the shop for at least 10mins while the lady there worked on a project without once greeting me or saying hello. WTF!!!
Their selection was nice, people just sucked big time at customer service. So I’ll spend my hard earned dollars elsewhere.

As my mother says, I look at everything with wedding eyes now and of course, when I saw this place next to Torchy’s, I just had to go in to check it out.
They have all kinds of beads, priced by the piece. It’s crazy… it’s a jewelry/​DIY crafter’s dream! They have pearls, rocks, rocks that look like pearls… everything LOL!
The store is a little on the tight side — don’t come in with big bags… or hips… because it’s slightly hard to manuver through the walkways of bead tables.
They also have jewelry already made that can be purcahsed as well — it’s not just for those trying to make jewelry, etc.
One last thing — if you eat at Torchy’s, bring your receipt because you get 10% off of your purchase if you show your Torchy’s receipt. Nice.

Lots and LOTS of beads. But the people there totally ignored me when I walked in, didn’t even say hi. No help. Also the prices are WAY too high. I will keep shopping at Hobby Lobby instead.

This is my source for great beads. I could spend hours in this place. The staff is always very nice and helpful. They open the cases and let me explore :)

What a romantic date place! Seriously let your imagination run wild and create a unique piece of jewelry. The staff here are very friendly and helpful. The beads are high quality. Easy to select and create at your own pace.

I didn’t quite understand the store when I walked in, it was lots of beads and things to make your beads. But I thought it was pre-​made bracelets. They mostly had beads and you had to MAKE your own, its just a store to buy your supplies. Hint, I was looking for a flat wooden bracelet for my mum’s birthday, which is coming up soon.
I drove all the way from Southeast Houston to the Shepherd Dr area and it was a long drive, I endured lots of noisy drivers who cannot drive worth their life, and could hardly find this place. Thank goodness after driving and circling into parking lots of Randall’s, I found this place. It was nested with a few other shops, and that its own FREE parking.
When I walked in, I could see pre-​made earrings with no price tag, and then BOOM!!! a rainforest of beads, a china cabinet of rough gems, and EXPENSIVE pre-​made necklaces.
It was an older lady who worked there and not at all spoke to me as I walked into this jungle of jewelry. Then, a man walked in to assist the other shopkeeper. He was rude to me, and suspected I was going to steal something. I don’t know maybe because I was the only black female in this store. I gazed the items they had, and even had to ask this Brazilian woman about the store. She was quite nice to me, and helped me a little bit. I stayed about 25mins in this store, walking around, and wondering where all the pre-​made wooden bracelets was.
I did ask the lady shopkeeper if the set I chose was a bracelet or a necklace and she told me no it was nothing, unless I wanted to make something out of it. I looked at her with an OH!
I didn’t stay too long the store after that, and just left. I felt as if I wasted a lot of gas, and saw that they only had man’s wooden bracelets which were $ 10 too much for a small bracelet. No pre-​made woman’s wooden bracelet.
Though, this place probably isn’t for me because I have no time to be sitting down making jewelry. This place would be best for the ideal person who has all the free-​time in the world.
Great place, just a bad experience. No worries!

At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, my life is better now. I saw the sign for the bead shop driving by their new location on Shepherd Drive and immediately pulled over for beads. I have driven this way to work for over two years and never saw it before. As if by magic or like mushrooms after rain, this mirage erupted fully formed before me.
The shop is filled with beads so diverse, plentiful, and expertly curated that I knew it could not possibly be new… Incredible objets d’ art formed by expert hands and beads adorned the walls and ceilings (look for the kick-​ass chandelier), strings of beads plaster every corner, and hundreds of cups filled with beads cover counter after counter. I fell to my knees, grabbed a handful of baggies and began to pillage this veritable pirate cove of bounty.
I met the owner while cashing in my chips and he explained the store moved about a month ago from Rice Village. He shared my love for the life size ceramic peanut beads I clutched greedily in my sweaty little paw and I think we’re going to be friends.
In summary, if you are rich or poor, you can buy something awesome here. If you’re crafty, your head will spin with ideas. If you’re not, pick out some beads and they will string them for you (for a service fee). There was even a woman in picking up a string of pearls they had fixed for her.
I predict I will have lovely dreams tonight.

Note: Has moved! 4422 Navigation between N. Milby & Lockwood. Rent was way too high @ Rice Village, and now they own their own building.
Still absolutely a Houston institution! The most highly complimented necklaces I own were created over the years with help from the knowledgeable owners of The Bead Shop.

this is a fascinating shop that glitters from ceiling to floor with sparkling treasures of all shapes and sizes. i’m a sucker for shiny things, like an idiot magpie, or a stupid insect lured by the flame of a candle or a bug zapper. i’ve never made bead jewelry, but i sure was inspired when i came in here! the owner (so i was told) was the older gentleman, and i hear that he is there everyday. he was wearing a tie dye shirt with camo pants, and an intimidating scowl. dude, your store is so cool. why the frown? the girl working the cash register wasn’t friendly or helpful either, but who cares. i’m surrounded by sparkly things! o_​O

I really enjoy visiting this store when I’m in the area. I easily spent an hour here last time, and it was probably the cheapest shopping expedition of the entire trip to H-​town.
They have various glass beads, various non-​precious gemstones like tiger’s eye, turquoise, onyx, little brass ornamental do-​dads, painted glass, petrified shark teeth, etc.
While I myself never wear jewelry, I’ve made (& lost) keychain ornaments, and numerous necklaces as gifts over the years. I’m kind of drawn to garnet, sapphire, amethyst, opal, and tiger’s eye, having spent time as a kid in Idaho & Wa. where some of these come from, and were quite common.
P. S., I don’t think the doorway is a problem for wheelchair access, but navigating in between the tables would be, and if the place is crowded, I have trouble myself.

I’m not an arts and crafts type of person. As a type of design, I loved the movement, but I’m not talking about William Morris, Frank Lloyd Wright, or Newcomb pottery here. I mean I’m not a frequenter of craft stores; I don’t scrapbook. I paint, I draw, I sculpt, but as far as crafts to fill the time of a bored suburbanite, I don’t partake. Well, unless it’s to make jewelry. I never took that class in college; it was too attention to detail oriented for me… but it still kind of fascinates me. This whole functional, wearable art.
While it’s infinitely cheaper to find beads at garage sales via old, falling apart necklaces, sometimes you just can’t find specifically what you need. The Bead Shop is the place to go in those cases.
This shop is one of the older stores in the Village along Times Blvd. It really hasn’t changed much from when I first climbed its steps back in high school. Even though I don’t go in often, it is still a touchstone in the sea of new shops in the area.
There are tables in the center with larger, less expensive beads, along with finishing products such as fasteners, clamps, earring hooks, and the like. One wall is covered in strands of beautiful solid-​colored bead of glass or semiprecious stones. Expensive for nonprofessional hobbyist/“I know what I’m doing, no I don’t” person like myself, but perfect for the person who knows what they’re doing with wire. If you’re feeling even more adventurous, there are gorgeous varieties such as cloisonné, coral, and good quality semiprecious stones in the counters along the back wall.
Even if you’re not one to make your own jewelry (or attempt, in my case), you should check this store out. It’s a nice space and the staff is really nice and helpful, but not to the point of annoyance. Who knows, you may end up just like me, walking out with beads, an idea in your mind, and hopefully an «I could wear this in public» necklace.

To me, this will always be the best bead store in Houston. Their selection runs the full bead gamut, from precious stones to wood and bone. Beads are sorted by color for easy selection.
Be sure to look at the vintage beads, hand-​painted Chinese beads, and bulk glass strings… there’s something for every bead need here. The sales process is the usual take a tray/​bags/​pen and keep track of your picks. Prices are low to reasonable.