A World of Beads — Attraction in Blue Ash

Tl;dr: Great bead store with great selection, prices, staff and classes. Highly recommend.

I’ve been making jewelry as a hobby for over 18 years and am always on the hunt for a great bead shop. Unfortunately, Ohio does not have a lot of bead stores and they are usually very limited in what they offer. This place is the exception and is hands down my favorite store in the state. The new location is beautifully done, but that is not to say that their previous location was any less. The store is well organized, open, and clean, giving you plenty of space to take your time to meander and see everything they offer.

They have a great selection of beads including a gorgeous semi-precious stone selection. They also sell all sorts of findings including precious metal wires and beads. Their prices are reasonable and while you can see some more expensive things in their store, the quality of their inventory is well worth the price tag. I always leave feeling comfortable knowing that I am purchasing excellent quality materials. The staff and owner are knowledgeable, friendly and are more than willing to answer your questions or help you with a project. For a first time beader, the selection might look overwhelming at first, but the staff will be more than willing to help you out and you will soon be on your way to making cool jewelry. For an more advanced beader, you can quickly feel at home and start furiously planning future projects.

They also offer a number of classes which I would highly recommend. I’ve had the opportunity to take their Ring Stacking and Advanced Silversmithing classes and had a great experience in both. While I have been making jewelry for years (mostly stringing and cold wirework), I had never learned how to solder and was honestly a little intimidated about the process. I had looked into taking soldering/silversmithing classes previously and they had always been prohibitively expensive. Both the classes I took were incredibly reasonable, coming in around $65 and $125 plus materials fees ranging from $25+. They do allow you to bring in your own stones/materials (I brought my own stones for the Advanced class) but their selections of stones to work with are wonderful as well.

Dave Young, who taught both classes, was a wonderful and patient teacher. In both classes there were people of all skill levels (some people had never made jewelry or worked with wire before) and he adapted well to teaching to everyone’s levels. He gave everyone one on one teaching, while keeping the overall group on track. He was great at troubleshooting issues and would guide you in correcting issues without taking over so you could learn from your mistakes. They also sell complete supply kits after you finish the class so you can start soldering at home.

Overall this is a great bead shop and is worth a visit even if you just want to wander around and look at pretty...

Honestly, one of the coolest shops in town. They used to be in OTR, so the free parking in the new location is a plus. Employees here are extremely patient with beginners (like myself) and have helped me create some truly special and unique gifts time and time again. They also do great work with professional designers and they do custom work and quality repairs. I've been very impressed with their desire to keep employees and customers safe during the pandemic and I appreciate that they require customers to wear masks, as they ALWAYS have theirs on (even before you walk in the door). I feel very safe here, and I always feel appreciated for visiting. Such a pleasant experience each time....

Important: Check the website before visiting. The shop is not open daily.

Two store employees and one other customer were present on the day I visited. I was greeted by the employee behind the counter. However, she was busy with the customer, so I walked around and looked at beads. The beads are a tad pricey for me, but the selection was decent. The stones I wanted were out of stock I guess because the bins were empty.

After about 3 minutes, the second sales person sits down at a desk. I'm still walking around the shop as the person behind the counter is still with another customer. The second employee never engaged, so I just left. Not exactly a friendly reception. I don't...