The new look of Beadazzled is more than just a paint job — it’s a way to show that the business in now about more than just beads.
After renovating the interior, the owners hired Creston airbrush artist Cory Cannon to give the storefront a makeover, replacing the graffiti-style beads with something that better represents the store’s new direction.
“I said, ‘I want mountains, a gold panner and a metal detector. What can you do with it?’ ” said Kevin Smith, who owns the store with his wife, Sandy. “Now, people look at it and see past the beads.”
The couple bought the business — then known as Beadazzled Beads and More — from original owner Diane Tucker, who opened the shop in November 2004, on Oct. 17, 2008. Since then, they’ve phased out the lower-quality glass and plastic beads — adding more semi-precious stones and Swarovski crystals — and phased in lapidary equipment — including metal detectors — and a selection of gems, stones and crystals, including some from the now-defunct Bluebell Mine north of Riondel.
“I wanted to add lapidary, something to do with rocks,” said Smith. “It’s all related.”
Lapidary stores are few and far between, and Beadazzled is one of only a handful in B.C. Smith often ships orders around the province, with one last week destined for Vancouver Island.
“It’s a real specialized thing,” Smith said.
As well as prospecting equipment, Beadazzled hosts wire-wrapping classes, using silver and gold wire, to teach customers to create jewelry with gems and crystals.
He and his wife moved to Creston five years ago, a return home of sorts for Kevin, a Fort McMurray, Alta., native, who lived in Boswell from ages 16-18, and most recently in Calgary.
Owning the shop at 1217 Canyon St. has given Smith an opportunity for new experiences.
“I always played with rocks like every kid, but I was not out looking for stuff,” he said.
He now has a gold claim in Cranbrook, and prospects around the Creston Valley and near the Kootenay Pass.
“Even Goat River is good,” he said. “There’s always gold in Goat River. … There are a lot of people that go out and there’s getting to be more, with the price of gold.”
Gold panning is becoming a family activity, he added. Beadazzled offers kits with three or four pans, and the larger kit comes with a book and DVD to help amateur prospectors learn to do it right.
The shop has also become a popular hangout for members of the lapidary club and other prospectors, some of whom have scoured the local mountains for over six decades.
And the diversity of the customers — from rockhounds to jewelers — is what makes every day exciting for Smith.
“You get some pretty interesting people,” he said, “and everyone’s got a story — especially the old prospectors.”