San Gabriel Bead Company

I absolutely love this place and I’m so sad it’s closing!

You must go! This wonderful store is closing after 17 years and San Gabriel Valley is losing an absolute gem! Kelly — the owner — announced their closing earlier this month. They still have a fantastic selection but some of their things are starting to sell out in the scramble to buy things before they close. They are having a progressive sale starting June 5 — 10% off 6÷5−6÷12, 20% off 6÷13−6÷19, 30% off 6÷20−6÷26, 40% off 6÷27−7÷3, and then 50% off everything. They will be closed July 13 – 17 and then have a Blowout Sale Weekend ⁷⁄₁₈ and ⁷⁄₁₉. There is also a «Garage Sale» that will start June 5. Everything is Final Sale already. Prices are very reasonable and you can buy high quality items that range from «big box craft store» prices to boutique niche items that may cost a little more but are valuable to the devoted maker.
I am so sad to lose this store so soon after discovering them — I’ve been making bracelets and beaded gifts with them for only about 6 months. My sister and her friends in Texas try to replicate the jewelry I’ve made and can’t seem to find the quality or the supplies that SBGC provides.
A special recognition to Laurel and Susu for being so helpful and wonderful when I need advise or trouble shooting. And a big THANK YOU! to Kelly for providing a place and the means for all this creativity and community to happen.

I usually shop in LA for any craft or fashion related supplies. I recently was inspired to make jewelry and learn more about wire wrapping etc… so I went with a gut feeling to go to San Gabriel Bead Company and am SO glad I did! Susan helped us the entire time and made us feel totally welcome. She gave us a tour of where everything was and was super helpful and generous with her knowledge of beads and jewelry making. What an angel. Fantastic customer service and everyone is very happy there. It has a very relaxed vibe to fuel the creative spirit —I thoroughly enjoyed my experience there and could have stayed in there for hours — but then they closed. I am so thrilled with my decision to drive a little out of my way to go to this place. It is a hidden gem! It beats fighting LA parking and traffic any day worth paying a few extra bucks! Much love to this place. Would definitely love to see them carry a wider variety of beads with wider drill holes and options, but it was a treat all around to explore and they also have classes that look great. I would love to take the wire wrapping class they have.

Let’s be honest… I am not a creative or crafty person. So, going to the bead store can be intimidating. I have been to the bead store a handful of times and each time I have experienced great service and help! This past visit was to make a bracelet for a friend. I really didn’t have a set direction but an employee named Ashley was a great help. She gave many suggestions and took the time to explain to me different links and chains to use. I really appreciated all her help and my friend loved the bracelet!

This bead store has always been my favorite place for making jewelry. They have the best prices and best selection of things needed to create your masterpiece. The owner is very nice and cares about helping the people and the staff who she has working for her is also very helpful – very caring! Thus, her care is delivered by her employes. In particular Ashley is very caring, knowledgeable and helpful making my experience at this store positive. She has always made me want to keep coming back because I know that she will always go the extra mile to help me and others. I would highly recommend this store for anyone that wants to find great beads at great prices. I can assure you that you will leave this store feeling good. This is the place for your needs!

Overpriced! This place has come in handy from time to time but I don’t like visiting and usually leave empty handed. As slow as it is, they manage to employ about 10 people per shift, none of which EVER greet you or ask if you need help.

I went there for the first time the other day. The selection was wonderful. The staff was exceptionally helpful and nice. I felt completely indulged, in a bead shop sort of way. It was very hot outside and they had little water bottles for the customers that had been frozen and still had a bit of ice in them. How nice is that? The prices were a bit high, but not too bad. It’s a big store with lots of staff. You have to expect to pay a little bit more for the service. I’ll definitely go back.

My daughter and I went here for the first time this week. We had been looking at many different stores for a particular blue bead and could not find it. We went in and explained this and a lovely lady took us through the entire store trying to find it with no luck. Although we were able to find something similar. I also ended up getting beads to make myself a bracelet as there was such an awesome selection. She helped show me how to lay out the beads and even suggested I take a picture so I could remember. The only drawback is they are expensive so we wont be going often but we are looking forward to going back when we can afford it.

I just started beading. This place has everything you could ever imagine for beading, at escalated prices of course. However, it’s truly a one stop shop. I walked in, there were 4 women working there. ONE greated me, while the other stared at me as if I was going to put my big purse to use– catch my drift? Finally I had to approach someone, ask them IF they work there, then ask for help. Dissapointing customer service (except for the lady with the super short hair at the register.) Although they have everything I could possibly need/​want, I think Ill be looking for another store to purchase from.

I love this place. I could spend hours upon hours looking at their stock. They have everything and anything under the sun when it comes to beading/​clamps. The staff is extremely friendly. Always there to help you find what you need. I also love their classes. great ideas and always inspires me to start a new project.

I am going to give a slightly different perspective from the others mentioned here: the perspective of the potential friend/​boyfriend/​husband that comes along as company while someone else buys beads. I have had hours of time to observe the store on a weekly basis on our trips from Pasadena (where it is the most convenient bead store with decent hours listed on Google Maps), engage in conversation with the clerks or sink into a smartphone or laptop to work on something else at the store. My perspective is based on growing up with a family of entrepreneurs, marketing people, writers, artists and business consultants (and with parents that both had psych. degrees), running a business myself and a childhood spent in three different countries. In other words, I’m quite prone to look carefully and try to understand things from a lot of different perspectives. :)
First of all, if you are used to getting dragged along to Michael’s, then this will be a pleasant change of pace. My first time at San Gabriel Bead Company I had only been there for a short time when someone asked if I needed help when I said «no, I’m just the ride». Rather than ignoring me or trying to get me to buy something, they said they had a table where I could sit while I waited. I sat down in the comfortable chair at table in the break room just slightly to the side of the main store and proceeded to watch an impressive display of customer service.
The person I’d brought had asked for some help and one of the clerks spent over an hour assisting her with every single thing she asked about. Neither her body language nor tone of voice ever suggested impatience or boredom and she answered question after question in the detail requested. Occasionally I would walk over to see how things were going and towards the end the clerk would say «it shouldn’t be too much longer» in an open, friendly and honest fashion (neither impatient nor «sales-​clerk-​peppy»).
Needless to say, that was not the only trip where I played chauffeur to the store. I have been back almost every week with visits lasting a minimum of 1 hour and often over 2 hours. They have a variety of clerks there varying in age, ethnic background and personality but I have never found any of them to be either unhelpful or unfriendly either towards myself, the person I brought or any of the other customers. The atmosphere has struck me as very «beginner friendly» with no sense of elitism or snobbishness. The staff has come off as a group of friends with a fair number of jokes and TV-​show discussions being bandied about when they aren’t helping customers and the music is kept at a moderate level and is rarely distracting (which is important to me since I work in the music industry and am sensitive to volume levels). I also noticed that some of the staff speak fluent Spanish and were happy to serve the customers in Spanish.
If I had to guess about the experiences that Marykay C., Rose S., amy c., Suzanne R., Kelly H., Diane R., xie b. have written about so far (where their experiences with the staff were far less positive) I would have to infer that a few different things may have happened. The current staff is very helpful if you ask questions but they also seem to want to give the customers room to browse on their own without feeling smothered (this is my take on it given the combination of the frequency with which they talk to customers and their tone when asked questions). Also, if you are someone that wants to be helped privately or are especially shy, you may want to either pick out the clerk the seems quietest when you are there or in some way indicate your preference, because the default for many of the people work there is a bit louder and more enthusiastic — almost like being made part of a fun, loud family.
Another possibility is that some of the clerks before this year were not at the same level as the present staff. We have only been coming the last couple months so I can’t speak to that possibility, except to say that the current staff has never demonstrated anything less than competence and thoughtfulness in their conversation with customers in my presence and that I have never seen them make a customer wait for more than a few seconds.
In other words, the customer service and the experience if you are «tagging along» are both about as positive as I could hope to expect. I can certainly understand how some people might prefer a more proactive approach to being greeted or frequently asked for help, but it struck the right balance for me and conveyed a positive attitude and level of engagement from the staff.
As far as prices, I have heard that they are sometimes higher than online or Michael’s but it depends on the item — and that several of their items are very fairly priced. The store is open 6 days a week with decent hours, dedicated parking, lots of natural light and open atmosphere. Though neither fancy nor upscale, the wood building has a rustic feeling to it.

First off I have to say that I have received exceptional customer service here. The ladies on the staff are very helpful with any questions I have had.
This store has many beads however the pricing is too expensive. I wish they were more in line with other retailers because I always want to support a local business first. If you have any patience on shipping time, Ebay is the way to go. I wish this store carried more unique beads because then it would make up for the high cost. If not, you can get a coupon and purchase at Michael’s craft store or hit downtown LA in the garment district.

I travel around the country full-​time in my RV and am constantly visiting different bead and jewelry supply stores and shows. SGBC is one of THE best stores I’ve been to, not just in terms of inventory and quality of merch but the staff is incredibly knowledgable and always willing to help out answering questions. Their prices are fair and comparable to what you would pay elsewhere. This is a store for serious artisans. If you want cheap without the service, go to Michaels, otherwise, this is your go-​to place.

This shop is jam packed with all the supplies you need to start beading to your heart’s delight.
I go there for their vintage beads, gemstones and miscellaneous clasps and clamps. I have to say, their gold plated and silver plated stuff is expensive, but honestly, when you’re making jewelry, you are paying for quality right? I wouldn’t use the stuff you can buy at Michaels for a piece I want to sell. No way.
The staff aren’t social butterflies, but seriously. who wants someone pestering you while you’re going through the trays and trays of beads? Not me. When I have a question, the staff have been there to answer it and I have no issue with that.
Go with a plan, or else you’ll get sucked into a dangerously expensive vortex of BEEEEEEEEEEEEEADS!

Yip, these employees have no customer service etiquette. You walk in and all they do is stare. No smile, no welcome, just stare. Then when you finally get to speak to someone, there so loud, that everyone in the store, has to know why your there. Ughg, never going there again.

Wonderful place! The seed bead walls are amazing! So much to choose from with such great prices. I only wish it were closer to where I live in the San Fernando Valley. I still need to go back there though and check out their other wares. I was on a mission so I just got seed beads. But I’m very much looking forward to see everything else more closely.

I was really looking forward to going to this store after hearing so much about it and reading the reviews… however i’m guessing that those folks who love this place, haven’t shopped around at many other bead stores. It’s nicely set up, I’ll give them that. However as one who buys a lot of crystals, their selection was lacking and they only carried Swarovski ones that I could see.
However their prices are insanely high, I mean HIGH!!! Even the basic items that you would get in Michael’s, were more expensive here.
I ended up leaving without making a purchase. This store is about the same distance from me as JJ Beads-​the other bead store I reviewed-​just in the opposite direction, I’ll continue shopping there.
Did I mention they were expensive!!!

Oh, this is a fun place! I am new to beading and a girlfriend recently showed me some basics. I stop by when I am in the area for a few more selections every time I have an idea for a future project. They have everything a beader or jeweler needs: findings, wire, tools, books, and tray after tray of loose beads or strings of beads. Beads of glass, metal, gemstone, stone, pearl, crystal, fine metals, etc. You name it, they have it or can find it for you. Friendly and helpful staff are a plus too.

When my friend and I came to check this place out we thought we could handle a couple beads, shop around here and there. What we didn’t expect was us hyperventilating over all the beautiful shiny beautiful array of every kind of bead imaginable. We spent about two hours here…
SO MANY SHINY BEADS! Swarovski, glass, pearls, brass, bronze, silver, gold. Strands of every color and shape. So cool.
You basically grab the little baggies and a pen from the baskets around and write down the amount and price of the beads you get and bring them to the register to pay. The prices of the individual beads are kinda pricey though so try to calculate how much you’re spending while you’re shopping or you’ll get wallet raped.
Some of the staff don’t look very friendly, but some are nice…

Wow. This is one of the largest bead stores I have ever been to. It is bright and clean and a pleasure to shop in. They have a ton of glass and crystal beads, findings, wire, and most anything else that you are looking for. Plus, prices are reasonable compared to other bead stores.
Why not 5 stars? Well, the staff was fairly nice, but they were mostly all talking loudly amongst themselves the whole time I was in there. Also, they have an extremely limited selection of gemstone beads. I would expect more from this large of a store.