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Every summer it’s the same. There are tons of darling fashions out there, but it’s too damn hot to wear anything heavier than a Band-Aid on your bod. What’s a gal (or goofy guy) to do when faced with an evening out on the smokin’ asphalt jungle of Uptown CLT? Accessories, honey. Short on time, money or know-how? Enter BeadLush, the quaint little store on the Plaza. Now you’re only short on excuses to look fan-friggin’-tastic.
Lydia Stern, owner, and Vanessa Ross, bead artisan, give us the scoop.
SJ: Tell me about your store and what y’all do.
LS: We are a full service bead shop. Meaning, we have lots of beads and jewelry-making accessories to choose from if you would like begin making your own jewelry, or we can also make it for you if you would rather have a hand in the design, but not the actual process.
SJ: So I don’t need to be crafty?
LS: No. Many of our customers come in for the first time and choose to take a class to learn how to do it. Be careful. This is addictive!
SJ: I’m not really much of a beader; well, except for the Fruit Loop necklaces I used to wear, but then I just ate them. Does a lack of talent matter?
LS: No. We are always happy to give suggestions or design ideas. We’re always pulling things out of magazines to try. We also have people who bring in something their mother or grandmother wore and they would like to modernize it, and we can help revamp the piece or create a new one.
SJ: For the long, hot summer, if a gal just has a basic black strappy dress to wear and she want to pump it up, what’s on trend?
VR: Vintage beads are big. We have a nice selection. Big, chunky, bright resin pieces really make a statement and are very simple to create. Black and gold are popular; yellow beads interspersed in a big link chain, and colorful pearls sort of re-create a classic.
SJ: What if I see something in Vogue or Elle that I simply must have? Can you help me out?
VR: Absolutely. We pull ideas from magazines all the time and show our customers how they can get the look on a page for a fraction of the cost.
SJ: Examples? (hoping for some free swag)
LS: Here’s a picture of a necklace in Vogue magazine. It sells for $4000. I’m not really sure why–except it is a ‘designer’ necklace. We sell the same variety of stone for $4.00. You can have the same look at a fraction of the price!
SJ: How much should I expect to spend on making a necklace here?
VR: You can make a really beautiful distinctive piece for under $30.00.
SJ: Smokin’!
www.beadlush.com
~ Sheri Joseph
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