Beads Factory
810 Maple Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90014
I had been wanting to make a trip to the Beads Factory which is in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Where I live, there just aren't very many bead stores. The few we have don't offer the same variety as well as low prices as different stores I have found in Los Angeles. With that being said, the less than 2 hour drive to LA is always worth it to me!
I was too distracted by the millions of beads all around me to remember to take some pictures of the store, so I "borrowed" some pics to give you an idea of what the store looks like
As soon as I walked into this store, I was in Heaven, yet, completely overwhelmed at the same time. Right when I walked in, I realized that this store was going to be more overwhelming than I imagined. Given the fact that I had just finished dealing with LA traffic, you could say that "overwhelmed" is a great adjetive to describe parts of my day. I didn't know where to start. The checkout area was to my right; to the left, a separate room with beads; straight ahead, the big ass store that awaited me. Not to mention the walls filled with beads from top to bottom. I had a couple of things that I had been specifically meaning to find/restock on, but other than those few things, I was there to find new, unique things. (which I did!)
Once I had a couple of minutes to figure out the layout of the merchandise, I was feeling a little more confident about where the heck to start. Yes, this is the "Bead Factory", but as you may have guessed, there is more than beads. Even the selection of different chains they have to choose from is amazing. Chunky chains, somewhat chunky chains, delicate chains, unique fancy chains. I have never seen so many chains in my life! They even have tons of feathers to choose from.
A glimpse inside....
With this angle, you see a majority of the store...but yes, there is more! To the left of where this picture was taken, there is a separate room with more merchandise. To the right is a huge, endless wall filled with all sorts of different beads. Pendants and charms can be found in the middle aisles.
Link for these photos: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bead-factory-los-angeles?select=EnV04Zuwlh_xZp732-WUdw#F3Va4vH2903dgvqTDLOu2A
Before I went to this store, I read reviews on Yelp, which warned me not to expect the friendliest staff in the world. Those reviews were correct. The employees are not outright rude, you just have to pull some teeth sometimes to get the help you need.
Parking
Another important tidbit. There is a parking garage across the street which has roof parking. I paid $5 and was parked there close to three hours. It was so easy, I just parked and off I went. For a minute I debated if I should attempt street parking, but those hopes were quickly dashed by reality. Ha, street parking in downtown LA? Maybe on a brave day. I recommend just going for the parking garage, but to each his own.
So, to anyone who has never visited this store and lives in Southern CA, I highly recommend a trip to this store!
With that being said, happy beading.