About Us
Roger Golba and his wife, Jeri Ann, have operated The Bead Warehouse in Avon since 2004, and for the four days each month it's open to the public, it's an open field for jewelry designers and bead lovers to browse and to discover rare finds -- or perhaps more importantly for Golba, for folks to enjoy themselves.
In the early 1970s, Golba said he began selling beads and jewelry items from his Volkswagen Bus around the greater Cleveland area. Proudly a "hippie" at the time, Golba said his love for fashion jewelry carried him through good times and bad.
"I was making things for myself and people would want what I made," he said. "Back in even '69 and Woodstock, I was making things out of turquoise and silver. I started doing shows. We had some big accounts. Your individual merchants, art studios, art galleries started wanting more of my jewelry, so I just started creating, creating."
Since, Golba's business has supplied beads and gemstones to jewelry designers and retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Marshall Field's department stores, imported from across the globe. About seven years ago, though, Golba and his wife, Jeri Ann, had a different idea of what to do with the Avon Lake warehouse condominium they had bought for storage. Now, they relocated to Avon.
"One day, we were sitting around and I said to my wife, wouldn't it be neat for the public to have access to all these gemstones and pearls and findings?" he said. "Everything you can make jewelry with at warehouse prices. Our first day was phenomenal, and now it's seven years later and we're still here."
Golba walked around the warehouse, pointing out some of his most beautiful merchandise, including pearls, jade and aquamarine. As he held a strand of pearls, he noted it would run upwards of $3,000 at retail markup, but could be purchased for far cheaper at The Bead Warehouse.
While Golba's business doesn't sell jewelry in its final form, The Bead Warehouse's four employees are glad to offer their expertise on jewelry-making to newcomers. Golba said, "The Bead Warehouse draws customers from all over, including Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati."
In the early 1970s, Golba said he began selling beads and jewelry items from his Volkswagen Bus around the greater Cleveland area. Proudly a "hippie" at the time, Golba said his love for fashion jewelry carried him through good times and bad.
"I was making things for myself and people would want what I made," he said. "Back in even '69 and Woodstock, I was making things out of turquoise and silver. I started doing shows. We had some big accounts. Your individual merchants, art studios, art galleries started wanting more of my jewelry, so I just started creating, creating."
Since, Golba's business has supplied beads and gemstones to jewelry designers and retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Marshall Field's department stores, imported from across the globe. About seven years ago, though, Golba and his wife, Jeri Ann, had a different idea of what to do with the Avon Lake warehouse condominium they had bought for storage. Now, they relocated to Avon.
"One day, we were sitting around and I said to my wife, wouldn't it be neat for the public to have access to all these gemstones and pearls and findings?" he said. "Everything you can make jewelry with at warehouse prices. Our first day was phenomenal, and now it's seven years later and we're still here."
Golba walked around the warehouse, pointing out some of his most beautiful merchandise, including pearls, jade and aquamarine. As he held a strand of pearls, he noted it would run upwards of $3,000 at retail markup, but could be purchased for far cheaper at The Bead Warehouse.
While Golba's business doesn't sell jewelry in its final form, The Bead Warehouse's four employees are glad to offer their expertise on jewelry-making to newcomers. Golba said, "The Bead Warehouse draws customers from all over, including Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati."