Bradford Bead Shop is full of "beautiful and unusual beads"

The jewellery maker and artist runs Bradford Bead Shop - our Telegraph & Argus Trader of the Week - selling ethically-sourced beads of all shapes and colours, from across Europe.

“We aim to find beautiful, interesting and unusual beads and accessories,” she says.

Bradford Bead Shop on Bolton Road

There are beads of all shapes and sizes

Her love of beads and beading began many years ago. “As a child I made bracelets secured with knots and then in my teens I went to Greece where I met a jewellery maker and watched her making things from bits of glass and wire - it was all so gorgeous, I was inspired.”

The pair became friends and Carmanita went on to make her own jewellery. “I’m a bit of a magpie and I enjoyed creating something lovely from pieces I had collected.”

At the time she found bead shops in West Yorkshire disappointing not only in the range of products but the lack of awareness as to whether they had been ethically sourced.

Some of the colourful beads on show

Aged 21, on a backpacking trip around Europe, she found many small suppliers and manufacturers, forging business relationships with them. “Ninety per cent of them I have to this day,” she says.

Carmanita started selling her wares 20 years ago at Leeds Outdoor Market, hauling boxes and display rails across from Bradford on the bus. She later had a stall in Bradford’s Kirkgate Market.

She came across her current premises - where she has been since 2021 - in a row of quaint cottages in Bolton Road, Eccleshill, after visiting an accountant in a neighbouring unit.

The shop attracts customers from across Yorkshire.

Crafting accessories are on sale

As well as individual beads, Carmanita created beading kits with instructions as to how to make different items of jewellery.

She particularly likes glass beads and those made from gemstones. “They are very durable and there are so many variations. If you get bored with a piece or it breaks you can re-use all the beads.” Carmanita has also made her own clay beads.

“I also fix beads. People may want them re-strung - it is lovely seeing how thrilled they are seeing jewellery that had been broken for a long time made whole again.”

There are so many to choose from

Another look inside the shop

Artists also come along to select beads to incorporate into their work. “And parents come in with their children - kids love to pick out beads. You can buy lots of beads for 65p and 20p for elastic - so you can make a bracelet for 85p.”

She adds: “Some people buy beads, make jewellery and sell it, which is great. We were once a nation of crafters but that became lost due to a throwaway culture. It is nice to see it gradually coming back.”

Carmanita, who has also worked as a teacher of maths and English, says beading can also help to relax people and relieve anxiety. “The hours fly by and any worries you might have slip to the back of your mind,” she says.

She loves being among a supportive group of traders. “We look out for and encourage one another. The landlord and his wife are lovely.”

Bradford Bead Shop also sells online at bradfordbeadshop.co.uk

*Bradford Bead Shop, 1113 Bolton Rd, Eccleshill, Bradford BD2 4SP;