My NY bead shopping adventure started yesterday. My mother-and-law and I set out with a list of shops and a game plan to start at the farthest end and work our way back. Good thing, too, because the first store we went to would have already been closed if we'd done it the other way around.
I'll have to fill in names and locations later, but we started out with a store in a business district. Not the most visible location, but the store was sizable and my gosh, did they have vintage! Several tables of loose vintage beads, ranging from ten to forty cents each. I went wild. I found some really cool stuff, like wild Japanese lampwork, two-hole butterfly shape beads, and about a dozen different styles of nifty green beads.
After that it was onwards to a small but nice store with lots of stone beads and a little bit of other stuff. The prices were very good for a retail bead store, so I actually picked up a couple of things that caught my eye, including some pretty blue briolettes. I also got a cool pewter dragonfly clasp and some pewter chandelier findings.
We tried to go to another store next, one that we'd visited last year, only to discover that they're closed on Mondays. Bummer! We're probably going there today.
Our last stop for the day was a personal favorite, Ace Handicrafts. This is a craft store with an ever-growing bead selection. I always find new and unusual things there, and this year was no exception. I picked up all kinds of cool glass beads, some pretty abalone top-drilled beads, and a few nice sterling clasps. Also, my MIL gifted me with a lovely Venetian lampwork leaf faerie :)
At all three bead stores we found friendly employees and owners. Definitely a pleasant day.
I'll be sure to take some pictures after today's shopping.
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