The Bead Factory in Tacoma closed in July 2014. The owners, Viki & Mark Lareau opened Lareau Jewelry Academy in August of 2014. Lareau Jewelry Acedemy is this area's first contemporary jewelry school. We are not a bead store. We are a jewelry design center focusing on education, and supported by our members. We do have a retail area where we sell jewelry making supplies that compliment our selection of classes. Our retail area is open Monday - Friday 10 AM- 8 PM and Sat & Sun 10 AM - 6 PM.

 

The retail area is not open to the general public. It is open to LJA Members only and students enrolled during the current schedule. You do not have to become a member to take classes at LJA. Anyone can sign up for classes and anyone can become a member. There are many advantages to joining, that are listed on our current website, along with all of our classes & education offerings.

 

If you are looking for specific beads or supplies, you can give us a call and we may be able to refer you to another store. We appreciate everyone that supported The Bead Factory, and we surely love to see our past customers! However we don't want to disapoint people because we are not the same business any longer. We loved being The Bead Factory for over 22 years in Tacoma. We have now evolved in a different direction to focus completely on offering jewelry making education in contemporary techniques & modern designs.

 

Check out our current class schedule online or stop by to see samples in person. We are always happy to assist you in class selection, and help find the perfect class for you regardless of level or experience!

 

Thank you & we look forward to seeing you in a class soon!

 

Viki Lareau