Paradise Beads

Eclectic collection of beautiful beads, stones, crystals, shells and more from all over the world. Owner is super nice, helpful, patient and did not mind kids. The place is disorganized and requires time to search through piles if you are in a browsing mood. Prices are fair and reasonable, especially compared to more mainstream bead stores. The owner is clearly a collector and admitted to having hoarding tendencies. CALL BEFORE YOU HAUL because he keeps erratic hours, even during the week when the store should be open. The people next door told me that the shop is more of a hobby for him than a real money-​making business.

Walked into shop and was warned that they would be closing in 1 minute which made their closing time 2:33 while 3pm was posted. I wasn’t looking to stick around all day. Just pop in and check things out. No offer to help me find anything quickly as a circumstance was causing an early closure. Simply no desire to have another customer. Ever. Headed over the hill where I can get a little more out of my experience.

I want to give 5 Stars — not because it’s As Good As It Gets, but definitely deserving of 5 Stars nonetheless. Owner and staff were polite and very kind to stay open late for me. I like it that he doesn’t just «order» beads to resell, he searches and finds beads! He’s a real gem! :)

Gotta love the cat. The owner is extremely helpful and the time he takes to help with finding odd sized replacements on vintage pieces, or explaining techniques and educating me on beads is great. He has a unique inventory and I like that. Not too much of the made in China junk. Never do I feel like a burden or an idiot. Why the 3 stars? The hours are so inconvenient. And if I’m able to make it during a weekday before closing, often I’m met with a «sorry we’re closed for [something or other]» Bottom line, love it when it’s open; wish the hours were more consistent and convenient.

Loved the store and Marshmallow, who is definitely in charge of public relations. Dean (the owner) is very knowledgeable and he helped me identify some stones, I have had for many years, from a mine in Arizona. He inexpensively restrung some turquoise for me and I will definitely be going back to bring my broken and loved necklaces to be «recreated.»
Dean was full of information and he is pleasant and articulate. I enjoyed my visit. It will be wonderful to pick out new beads to add to my old stuff. Only took him a day to string a very long necklace for me.
The store is in an accessible spot and the parking is easy. Great place!

I went to Paradise Beads looking for African pendants; not only did Dean have some neat ones, he had other things I might not have even thought of (I ended up choosing a Serpentine triangle from China). Dean was so helpful; he helped me make my necklace right there and then, and even made the copper wiring for the pendant which I’m not sure I would’ve been able to do. I found him very knowledgable, offering great suggestions for finishing techniques as well as what material to use for stringing. I highly recommend Dean and his shop, they are an asset to this area.

I enjoy stopping in here whenever I get the chance to look at Deans latest finds of abalone, seaglass, and precious stone beads. He has a wonderful collection of older beads and a mixed array of stuff to go through, yes you might have to spend a bit to go through it, and not a beverlys but for what it is, one of my favorite spots. It helps that I like Dean, the owner, and chatting with him when I swing by. We are currently working on new ways to wire wrap. Go here to explore, get inspiration, pet the kitty, meet Dean, and look around. Also if you need boy scout badges, african masks, native american handbags, and odds and ends.

Liked the owner and his cat, but his beads were unorganized and pretty old. Not a lot of quality stones, but some interesting stuff if you have the time to pick through his stock. If you have a project from a recent book/​magazine and need seed beads, findings, thread/​wire, new shaped beads, etc. — this is not your place.

I think this bead store has a lot of unique beads and far more variety than the other bead store in town. You do have to sift and keep a keen look-​out, the store could be a bit more organized in general. But every time I go in, I always discover something new. Prices good, the owner is quirky but nice and knowledgeable. Oh– he will do bead trades too which is really cool and unexpected (like if you order some online that weren’t what you wanted you can bring them in and see if he will trade).

Paradise Beads is a wonderful hidden treasure located about a mile from the beach and near a strip of local vintage clothing, surf, and coffee shops. I was very happy to find a great selection of unusual beads and a nice variety of beautiful gemstones like kyanite, turquoise, chrysocolla, blue lace agate, and quartz crystals in unusual shapes and cuts, and more. It was hard to make a decision because I wanted all of them. I was like a kid in a candy shop, the more I looked the more cool things I found. I saw a glass bead «The Evil Eye» which is rare to find, along with a beautiful mix of African Trade Beads, Cool Metal, and Recycled Glass in beautiful Aqua, Cobalt, and Coral colors perfect for this season. The store owner was very friendly and informative. My 7 year old son was with me and the owner showed him some cool sand dollars that he just got in. The icing on the cake was a cross eyed cat with an adorable personality. This is definitely the store to come to if you enjoy digging for treasures!

I dashed in here on a quick lunch break and found some wonderful beads in no time! It’s a small, casual, low-​key place, packed with beads on tables, beads in trays, beads hanging from the walls, beads in cases. I bought some brushed metal beads, lovely bali-​type beads, and gorgeous blue and bronze jasper. There were two other shoppers plus the owner when I was there and it was fun to hear them talking about their projects. I’d say that was about capacity for the room!

Whether you are looking for some one of a kind gemstone beads to make a stand out necklace or some vintage glass briolettes for a unique pair of earrings, you will find them here. Dean (the owner) knows his inventory well and can help guide you right to what you want and then give you some advice on how to go about making your new creation. He has the best prices around and his beading classes are half the price of any other bead store in Santa Cruz.
p. s. don’t forget to give Marshmallow (the cat) a pat or two.

While «Marshmallow» the cross-​eyed cat was the cutest and only attraction to this bead shop, I will not return. The owner was away & had a friend mind the store. Unfortunately of the two items I purchased amongst the disheveled array, I was there for about 25 minutes instructing her on how to use the card swiper which she had difficulty managing. It was not her fault she was great but inexperienced. As for the shop, is was a modge podge of dust & disorganization, bordering on hording. I saw so much potential for great competition with the other small beads stores locally, namely Monkey Girl & Bead It in Santa Cruz (which are going downhill) BUT the owners’ tiredness & disinterest screamed out loud along wth Marshamallow who was pawing at the front door to strangers at 12 noon to «open dis door pweese»! The store looked like my neighbors garage. They have a garage sale constantly but no one buys becasue its all dirty junk. The owner had pictures of himself & Marshmallow from times past and the surroundings in the photo hadn’t changed one bit. Oy, how sad. How I cringe when someone has a possible goldmine of opportuniey but for the lack of motivation in their lives. Simply put, it looks like he is dealing with depression and it reflects in his shop. No one else walked in as I was there for about an hour.
And as another example of the owners own disinterest of his own store, his business card shows the hours as following:
Mon — Fri 11am — «5ish»
Sat. 11am — «whenever»
Sun «(Call First)»
Seriously!!!

This is my favorite bead shop in all of Santa Cruz county. Dean (and his cat) are very personable and I always find the most interesting things! It is significantly LESS costly than the large craft stores and other bead shops I have been to in the surrounding counties. I used to drive from Morgan Hill just to buy beads here.

Paradise Beads is a small bead store off Soquel Avenue where there is usually a rack of discount strands that are marked down 50% or more. They rotate the kinds of strands on the rack every month or something; each time I go, I see different stuff out. The incentive to check this place out? A cute, blue-​eyed cross-​eyed cat calls this his home. And the bearded hippy guy who owns this joint wears a cowboy hat and is really friendly.