Hello! My name is Doris Weinbaum and I am the owner of Bead in Hand. Bead in Hand is a retail bead shop in Oak Park, Illinois. Oak Park is just outside of Chicago, and easy to get to by car or by public transportation. Please come visit us! If you are a beader, you won’t be disappointed – we have an extraordinary selection of beads and beading supplies. We opened in November, 1993, so we have over 16 years of beading experience! Here we are pictured in November, 2009.  From left to right: Kim Humphrey, Debra Stephens, Kate Linne,  Store Manager Julia Schaefer,  and me.   This wonderful staff does it all – they work in the shop, teach classes and host the birthday parties, kids’ camp and school days out workshops.

Our popular Bead in Hand recycled shopping bag is back!   They are for sale for $3 each or 2 for $5.

For information about our classes, go to the Classes pages.  I have been busy adding 2010 classes.   We often add classes, so check back for additions.   We are very excited about our newest additions: Kimberly Stathis is kicking off our 2010 classes with the Sudden Impact Necklace on Saturday, January 10.  I met Kimberly at the Meet the Teachers event at the Bead and Button show, and I have heard excellent reviews of her classes and her exact instructions.  We are excited to be hosting her!   Then, Judy Walker is coming March 12-14 with three fabulous classes.  Judy has a new book out.  She also teaches at Bead and Button and around the country.  Find details for these classes on the Seed Bead Jewelry Designs page.  Please note the prerequisites on these classes – now would be a good time to take a basic seed beading class and be ready!

For a quick look at the dates for the classes we offer, take a look at the Calendar. We no longer mail a flyer, but we do send a weekly email with the latest on upcoming classes, class changes, new inventory, and special events. Be sure to sign up for our weekly email if you haven’t already.

Our birthday parties and Celebrations for Adults are still lots of fun. Great for kids, but also for adults who just want to bring friends together for a fun evening. Celebrate a birthday, a bridal party or just being friends. We can schedule a two hour class and you can make some jewelry; if you want to make the event extra special you can order food from the Buzz Café.

We offer beadwork repairs – we are happy to help advise you on how an item can be repaired and what you need to do it yourself, but if you prefer to have us do the repair, we will charge a repair fee plus materials.

We just announced our ninth annual bead challenge.  This year’s theme is BEADED CALENDAR PICTURES.  Participants are invited to create an artistic beaded piece that has been inspired by any picture from a calendar.  For all the details go to Beaded Calendar Pictures.

We had 12 entries for our 2008 Going Green Bead Challenge. I posted the winners and put pictures of all the entries on the 2008 Going Green Challenge page. Participants in the Going Green Bead Challenge used their imagination and created an artistic beaded piece that represents what GOING GREEN means to them. Take a look – they are, as always, extremely creative. Many thanks to all who entered!

I know that you have choices for your bead shopping and I thank you for your business. It’s our goal to make shopping at Bead in Hand your most pleasant bead buying experience. If there’s more that we can do toward that goal, please let me know! In the meantime, please look around our website for pictures of class samples, call soon to sign up, and keep on beading!