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| Beth: good friend, travel mate, fellow shopping conspirator, fellow foodie, etc. |
IT’S still a surprise how this good friend of mine manages to dive deep into a mountain of choices and manage to surface with fabulous must-haves. Whether it be clothes, shoes, accessories or bags, this shopaholic’s finds still manages to amaze me to this day, and mind you, I have gone shopping, locally and abroad, with this woman for the past six years. I guess it boils down to taste, and Beth, I assure you, is gifted with it.
If you’ve been to Bangkok, you would know where to head to for affordable finds. Beth heads to all of them. She enters each the building with conviction, scours every stall and exits with shopping bags in hand. It’s not until the end of each day that these packages are opened and we start comparing our purchases. I will just shake my head in wonder over how she manages to spot the covetable pieces she unearthed.
Unearthed..... some of the pieces for Beadworks Beth found on her recent shopping trip.
These pieces are not for her. She puts them on the racks of her small shop tucked in the corner of Damosa Complex in Lanang. For the past four years, she has been doing so and sells out the shop’s contents in a jiffy. Her secret? She puts herself in the shoes of her clients -- keeps in mind the disposable income of the working woman (she’s one to this day) and chooses pieces that will fit this budget, picks designs discriminately (classic yet stylish) and says to herself, “I would definitely use this if this were mine”, and most importantly no duplicates to avoid the woman’s dreaded “awkward moments.”
The formula has been proven successful for the past four years, and judging by the glowing face before me on the fourth anniversary of Beadworks, Beth is very happy with the success of her small venture set against the retail giants. She has managed to keep her clients from day one until today and the clientele is steadily growing. Happy ones, I might add, and sharing that they’re confident enough to walk around the city knowing they won’t bump into someone wearing or toting the same piece.
From the display shelves in Beadworks, it was the bag collection of Beth that caught my eye. “These are the bags I purchased on our recent trip to Bangkok. You didn’t see these ones,” she told me.
Surprise!
A bag hoarder myself, I fell in love with the collection. From minaudieres to the totes to the shoulder bags, every piece was just beautiful and most importantly, affordable. “Just one piece,” Beth assured. “I am a bag hag! This display pretty much like looking into my own bag collection,” she shared.
Four years and counting, Beth and Beadworks have been styling the girls and women of the city. So what’s next on your plans, I asked this hardworking woman. “I want to change the look of Beadworks and expand. I have been scouting for a small space within the downtown area to bring Beadworks closer to the working women on that side of city,” Beth replied.
Knowing how this friend of mine works, it won’t be long until you see Beadworks next door from your offices. But until that time comes, it’s Beadworks at the Damosa Complex that you can get your retail therapy from.
Congratulations on the fourth year anniversary of Beadworks, Beth! Looking forward to more years of shopping with you.
For more lifestyle & travel stories, visit http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/ andhttp://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/
Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on September 02, 2012.
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