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Over the years we have taught hundreds of workshops, helped thousands of people with all sorts of queries and had very many useful suggestions brought to us, for us in turn to pass on. Through the shop, workshops, shows, web-site and phone line we have met many wonderful people who have shared their ideas, enthusiasm, praise and criticisms with us and we hope that the combination of our desire to bring you the best and your feedback combines to bring our customers a great experience however they choose to shop with us.
So, here is a little bit about us, how it started, and who you will meet/speak to in the shop, at shows and on the phone
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Julie |
In July 1984 two Birmingham teenagers first took a stand on their local market selling jewellery and clothing that they had made. The jewellery soon edged the clothes out and the need for beads saw us pounding the streets of the world (ah the good old days before the internet!) searching for bead factories that could fulfill our seemingly insatiable desire for new and interesting items to make our jewellery with. |
Christine |
| Originally selling records and tapes Kevin fast became an essential part of the bead business, firstly as neither Julie nor Christine could drive there were only so many places we could get to by bus and train, but, as many of you will know, he is a key member of the team and has the dubious pleasure of looking after the books, and keeping our wilder buying urges in check, as well as being one of the core members of our show team. |
Julie and Kevin in Delhi |
The people who have helped us along the way have been many and varied:-
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Our parents without whose time, help, encouragement (and driving skills, again) our path would have been a lot harder. Many of you will know ‘mum’, Pat, who, in 1995 finally gave up the day job and came to take over managing the shop full time, after many years of fitting in weekend shows for us around her proper job as a laboratory technician. Years of experience with chemicals and materials both in industry and education have given her a fantastic knowledge of materials properties and give an extra dimension to her beading knowledge. Now 'retired' Pat still teaches lots of workshops and looks after our repais service! |
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to drive us all around the country. He also has a very critical eye on materials (he is a metallurgist and engineer), and a devoted DIYer, he not only comes to the rescue for domestic plumbing crises but has also built almost all of our shop and show fittings over the years. He retired from his proper job in 2004 but can still be found huddled over a balance or a spreadsheet at many hours of the day and night as retirement from Spellbound is simply not an option! |
So, that's the who and how we started - 30+ years and two driving licences later the team has grown quite a lot and includes ...
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Lisa - is our super duper manager who keeps the shop and mail order Lisa works really hard to keep the whole Lichfield operation running |
Vicky is our resident small beadwork expert and has been one of the team for many years. Like so
| many Spellbound staff over the years she was a customer and already very interested in all things beading long before she started to work at the shop. Vicky is a great all rounder - she beads, designs, teaches, kit tests, looks after our findings supplies and Facebook page, organises giveaways and does a whole host of other things besides. Vicky is a fabulous tutor and has a great in-depth knowledge of our product range. Vicky has contributed designs to magazines and has also designed several kits in the Spellbound range. |
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Louisa joined us in late 2010 after moving up to Lichfield from Kent.
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Louisa brings a lovely calm presence to the shop, but don't let that fool you for a second into thinking she is terribly serious! Louisa loves all sorts of craft and with 3 children to keep occupied has developed quite a repertoire in crafty things for them to do together. Since joining us Louisa has really concentrated on jewellery making, has joined in all of the workshops with great enthusiasm, shown a real flair for colour and design and has already made several pieces for magazines and our website like this fabulous Spiral Sparkle set. |
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Ellen looks after the seed, bugle and Twin beads, can turn her hand to just about anything, loves looking after customers and never stops smiling! Ellen is a really inventive beader, she created the super Incey Wincey Spider earrings which were turned into the runaway success web project of Autumn 2013, and the beautiful Snow on Snow Bracelet for our Christmas collection in the same year. |
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Robert is our mail order office manager and resident IT person who looks after lots of the'stuff' that keep us functioning online, as well as having the special 'kick' that fixes the printer when it plays up! You may well have spoken to him on the phone and although he is rarely seen in the shop he is often in the building. Here he is feeling all poetic at Malham Cove in Yorkshire |
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Jean has edited all five Spellbound books and as an experienced beader and complete perfectionist we know we are in safe hands. Jean's own design bead work is an exquisite mix of small beads (the smaller the better!) and sparkly crystal. She has contributed to design books and exhibitions and is an experienced tutor. |
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Many of the made samples you will see at the shop and shows have been made by Edna who loves nothing more than an excuse to curl up with needle, thread and pattern and bead to her hearts content. It was Edna who, many years ago, suggested that Julie might like to design a beaded bauble - and the rest, as they say, is history! |
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Julie is the creative driving force behind the business. With six books, countless magazine articles, kits and projects under her belt Julie never stops looking for new beads and new ideas and always has far more in her plans than hours in the day could make possible Julie has taught beadwork on a cruise ship, in Japan and all over the UK, appears regularly on Create & Craft TV and when we can find a day in her overcrowded schedule she still teaches classes in Lichfield occasionally. |
| Kevin still holds the purse strings and works the shows ... and he is still Big in Japan too! |  . |
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Christine works at shows but is only occasionally in the shop these days. She looks after the website, new product launches, designs the adverts and catalogues, organises the workshop programme, spends far too much time with baubles (thanks Edna!!), and is constantly working on new photos for the books and website. |
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They both love their days out (picture left leaving Moseley Old Hall) and their gorgeous and slightly mad dog Sophie. Pat is getting out to be a student at workshops - felt making, patchwork, quilting, free machine embroidery and watercolours have all featureed recently, who knows what might be next. Bob is properly retired now and would really like a bit of time to finish the kitchen and build a model boat! |
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from left to right Beth, great fun and a talented designer was with us from a work experience placement to part time work right through her college and foundation years, graduated from Leicester and still enjoying silversmithing in her spare time. Then Kevin; Lisa; Christine; Edna and Erika - a super talented stained glass artist and macrame whizz who has worked on film sets, taught classes and been an all round inspiration has now moved to Austria to pursue her design career. |
| and here in the back row Jean, Robert, Pat, Gill - hiding in the shadows here but an important part of the team for years Gill kept the bead displays at the shop filled and the stock flowing from the warehouse to the shop, now retired and having fun finding new hobbies (and still beading!) - Louisa and Rowena, now graduated from Edinburgh University and a rising star in the world of silversmithing, and in the front row Julie and Jess the dog |
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In December 2011 our much loved colleague Katie, pictured centre, died as the result of a brain tumour. In her memory, we raised over £15,500 for new cancer treatments by running, cycling, jumping from a plane, raffling, craft making, selling a brooch kit based on one of Katie's designs and a lot of help from our super customers and some very lovely other bead businesses who donated raffle prizes, cash and selling space at shows to help us along the way. |
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From left to right (left) Bryony, from Saturdays to full time in her gap year with Spellbound and now a midwife in Nottingham (we're so proud!); Santa (who loves to buy beads from us); Rowena; Nina, a bundle of fun who is now a teacher; Emily, now graduated from Aberystwyth, and Beth. And right - the lovely Lynn, knitting, crochet, macrame - anything you could possible make with wire and beads she has! Now retired but still beading, and wiring, everything in sight! |
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Alice-May joined us after graduating from university looking for a creative year playing with beads before heading off to do her MA in the Autumn of 2014. Alice-May loves all things sparkly and being creative, and also helped us to set up a host of improvements to our internet presence, including researching our new guide to Lichfield, our blog, a new news page and instagram. |
Above - Kev playing at the 100 club in London in a previous incarnation as singer with The Sect. Kev still sings and his band Skimmer have toured extensively in the UK and Japan; and The Sect have recently re-formed for tours of the UK, Germany and Japan. If you want a taste of Skimmer here it is! (Best played VERY loud - watch out for Jess the dog completely stealing the limelight). Christine in party mode and Julie and Kev still almost upright after one of the many gigs that we have all gone to over the years.
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