BeadKraft — Local services in New York

Bizarre experience. My friend and I got there around 3pm and waited in line outside for about 30 minutes before getting inside. Not a huge deal, we weren’t in a rush. They cut off the line after the party behind us, so we were happy to have made it in time. Once we got inside, we were told to pick our charms, then our chain, then get tools to sit and make the jewelry. It was kind of hard to pick out the charms because there were so many people in there, cramped around the same station. Then there was a line to get your chain. While we were waiting, one of the girls working told us, “You have ten minutes to select your chain and get your tools before we’ll have to start turning people away.” What? Why would you cut off the line at a certain point outside, and then once those people are inside, tell them they’re actually going to be turned away? Anyway, the same girl told my friend and I, “I’ll make sure you guys get to sit down, don’t worry.” We finally got our chains and got in line to get the tools. Then a man who I’m assuming is the manager came over to us and said, “I know she just said she’d make sure you sit down, but we’re actually going to be closing so you’ll have to have us make the necklace and come back to pick it up, or buy pliers and make it at home.” So then what’s the point? We got the pliers and went home and made the necklaces, but the whole experience put a bad taste in my mouth. There either need to be time limits on how long you can sit and make your jewelry, or they need to cut off the line outside at an earlier time to ensure everyone has the chance to make their jewelry. I get wanting to serve as many customers as possible, but you’re not really serving them when you’re kicking everyone out because you can’t accommodate the number of people in the store. Half of the experience is sitting down in the store and making your jewelry, so you aren’t providing a great customer experience if you’re sending people away and making them buy extra supplies to make their jewelry at home. The pliers should’ve at least been free. The necklace is cute, but for $70 in total, I’m super disappointed in the...

Overall this was a nice experience! They have great signage everywhere, it’s very self-explanatory. You pick up a tray, and sift through as many charms as you’d like- all of the charms shown here were $3 each, with the exception of the matchstick ($5) and the glass oranges ($6 each). The selection is a little smaller than even some of the pictures here, but it’s still possible to get creative. They are well organized but have mostly gold colored and brass charms, if you’re a silver girly this is probably a more colorful creation kind of place for you. IMPORTANT NOTE: I gave the metal charms pictured here a thin coating of clear nail varnish, and they’ve held their color beautifully. I don’t know how they fare without protection. There are several chain options, I chose the gold plated copper because I wanted to test the longevity against other plated chains I have. An 18in gold plated is $7.50, whereas the higher quality gold filled is $3 per inch. The gold plating seems thinner than most plated chains and has rubbed off almost completely after about a total 36 hours of wear over several days, but this is my unique experience. I do think the chains specifically are a bit expensive for their value. There is also the option to purchase finishings and either rent or buy a set of pliers to finish the piece in-store. I fix vintage jewelry, so I chose to finish the piece at home, but clasps (package of 2!) and jump rings (which I had already) are $3.50 a package each. The clasp I chose is large enough to put on easily and works very well. Although they are called BeadKraft (in a lovely little space!) there isn’t much in the way of bead supplies if you’re looking for that, but if you want a cute costume piece with charms, it’s a nice...

I set up a private event a week ago with Ken, the manager at Beadkraft. I had very little time to put the event together as another business had just cancelled at the last minute leaving me with no activity for a birthday party. Ken we super helpful, prompt with his responses, answered all my questions, and he even gave me a discount! Liz was the instructor for our event and she was delightful! So patient and fun, easy to understand and just a joy to be around! She brought a huge selection of charms (at least 100), several different types of chains and all the tools we needed. Unlike the business I won’t name, DR, the girls were not limited to 10 charms and they could choose to make either a bracelet or a necklace. The jewelry we made was sent home in a beautiful bag with ribbon ties and everyone got a free keychain too! Overall, a wonderful experience and lovely memories that we’ll cherish always. The birthday girl has worn her necklace every day since...