Rhonda Berta and her daughter, Abbi were bitten by the bead bug years ago while vacationing with their family in West Palm Beach, FL. Abbi, (then 8 years old) noticed that a woman was wearing a very intricate and beautifully beaded necklace. This woman, pleased that her hand-beaded design was appreciated, was kind enough to take them to her favorite bead shop and the rest is history...
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We opened our doors on March 25, 2005 and within 1 week, held our first bead stringing class. Soon after opening, Rhonda's sister Hanna Bertulis joined the business. As the business began to grow, so did our love for fine yarns and fibers. We are pleased to offer over 150 classes, including basic bead stringing and knitting, original bead weaving designs, felting classes, wire sculpting, loom weaving, silversmithing, metal works, spinning, crochet, and peyote instruction. We are certified in precious metal clay, and schedule workshops by appointment. In 2012, The Bead Place took 2nd place for Favorite Bead Store Worldwide, by a Lark Craft reader's poll.! Although Rhonda and Hanna have both moved on from the business, they visit from time to time to help and create! We are lucky to have fabulous staff of talented employees and instructors and value their input and contributions immensely.
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We are located at 8 Plaza Drive in Fairview Heights, IL 62208 inside of the Marketplace Shopping Center between Dollar Tree and Jenny Craig. Look for Best Buy, Goodwill, or Burlington and you won't miss us!
Hours of operation:
Tuesday-Saturday: 1-5PM
or by appointment any time!
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meet the crew
 BeckyShe has taught for us, worked in the shop, hosted friday night parties and more. Currently she is our website editor, and does various "behind the scenes" tasks in helping run our small business. She also helps out with workshops, and fills in at the shop when needed. Becky enjoys all things beads and yarn, and lots of other creative hobbies as well. Becky is a creative rebel. We're continuously amazed at what she comes up with. Fun fact: Becky is an animal advocate and shelter volunteer. Meow! |  JenniThe originator of bead crochet with wire! Jenni is insanely creative and very well-known for it. She is very active in her community and her church. She is the key problem solver and solution creator and gets things done faster than humanly possible! We think she must be an angel... |  BeccaBecca has been creating and engineering beautiful designs with inventive spirit for about nine years. Since working for The Bead Place, she can find just the right product for any application and always knows what we have where! |
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 TerriTerri does a little bit of everything but she does it all very well! She helps with workshops, digital transcription and data entry, classes, and occasionally even behind the counter in the shop itself! |  AlexAlex is always fun to have around! He runs production for our live streams and occasionally processes customer orders! He also buys Abbi food sometimes which makes her very happy. :) |  AbbiOwner, full-time store fixture, instructor, and oddball. She loves to work with wire, metals, and seed beads. She has taught at Interweave's Bead Fest Philadelphia, The Bead Q Jewelry Exploration, and on cruises and at other craft events. Her work has been featured in/on the cover of numerous jewelry making/beading publications such as Easy Wire Magazine, Step by Step Wire Jewelry and Jewelry Stringing. She also has appeared as a guest on the PBS show, Beads Baubles & Jewels! |