ABOUT US...

Hi! We're Jan and Leo Smith and together we own and operate Beadman Enterprises, a second-generation family business established in 1968.

Back in 1968, it was a combination Native American handicrafts, jewelry and beads, and all around "curiosity" store called the Hobby Hunting Grounds located in Anacortes, Washington. Owned by my parents, Ken (also known as The Original Beadman) and Doris Howell, it operated on evenings, weekends, and during the summers over the next five years. It was during this period of time that Ken and Doris started taking their first overseas buying trips and importing their beads direct. As a result, in 1973, the decision was made to close that store and in its place a wholesale bead outlet in Anacortes and a retail bead store in Seattle was opened under the name Variety Beads. At the same time, Ken and Doris also started doing the Indian & Western show and Rock & Gem show circuit up and down the West Coast. In the late 1970's, they closed the store in Seattle and moved the wholesale outlet to its current location in Sedro-Woolley. For several years thereafter, they traveled throughout the states and overseas on buying trips, all the while continuing to do shows. In 1983, they shared their passion and extensive knowledge of beads by becoming the founding members of the Northwest Bead Society. By the late 1980's, weary of too many shows and having had several heart attacks, Ken decided to "retire" and Doris continued on with the business under the name DJ Howell. From then until 1994, they spent their winters with the business in Quartzsite and the remainder of the time with the business in Sedro-Woolley.

So...where did Beadman Enterprises come in??

From 1968 through 1973, I was fortunate enough to work at the Hobby Hunting Grounds (for a fun blast from the past, click on this >>> ). I learned a lot about the business at that time and was also able to accompany Ken and Doris on a variety of buying trips. In 1974, however, I decided to move on and search out my "fame and fortune" in the big city. Even after moving, though, I was still in the business loop for several years as Ken and Doris would often drop off beads for me to string or package on their way to and from shows. In the meantime, while my "fame" remained elusive, I did find my "fortune" when I met and married Leo in 1975. We settled in the Edmonds area and throughout the years, even though Ken and Doris tried several times to sell us the bead business, we decided it was best to stay put. Then in early 1994, while Leo was recouperating from injuries he sustained in a car accident, we took a long, hard look at our (by then) high-stress jobs and our quality of life. With our kids now grown and out on their own, we finally decided it was time for a leap of faith and took Ken and Doris up on their offer. As it turned out, however, by that time not only did they want to sell us their business but also their property including the house and warehouses. It seems they wanted to REALLY retire, buy a large motorhome, become snowbirds and lead a life of leisure! Consequently, we quit our jobs, sold our home, and moved to Sedro-Woolley to continue on with the family business. In December 1994, we bought the remaining DJ Howell inventory and on January 1st, 1995, Leo and I opened under the name Beadman Enterprises. Initially, it was quite a learning experience but Leo and I brought a well-balanced blend of backgrounds with us that helped tremendously. Aside from the family business, my background was in computer technology, accounting, and office management while Leo's was in shipping and receiving, sales, and office management. We were also able at that time to enlist Ken and Doris as our "personal mentors" and learn, so to speak, from the masters. While Ken passed away in January 1999, we were fortunate to have Doris living in a small place of her own here on the property until she passed away in June 2006.  

Many changes have taken place since we started in 1995. Over the years, we have taken a business that was basically "on the road" and turned it into an on-line business which we operate year-round from this location. It took over a year, but in 1996 we were finally able to computerize the inventory and we operated as a mail order business with print catalogs. In 2000, we started our own web site and eventually discontinued our mail-order print catalogs in order to focus on our on-line catalog. Now, with "retirement" beckoning, we are planning on gradually phasing out our rather extensive inventory until we are completely sold out (which we anticipate may take several years). In the meantime, we stay active in the bead community and have been members of the Northwest Bead Society since 1995. We are also host to Bead Dreamers, a local bead group started in 2000. We have come to the conclusion that while it's sometimes overwhelming and more often than not quite challenging, it is definitely rewarding! We enjoy the bead business and the many wonderful people we've met along the way and hope to stay active with it for some time yet to come!!. 

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