A Little About Cherry Tree Beads

Thank you for visiting Cherry Tree Beads. I hope you are getting some new ideas and finding a lot of items you can use in your designs. Following is a little about our company, how we got started, and where we think we are headed.

Cherry Tree Beads was formed in 2000. We are a small, family run business based in Evinston, Florida (close to Gainesville). We currently have 6 of us working out of our Florida office: Bill (the main man), BeBe my wife, Beth our daughter, Larissa, Francene, and Gill.  Our North Carolina office is headed up by Jenn, our East Coast Rep., and also includes Adriana, and Magi. In addition, you might find our college helper Ryan at a show. Ryan recently graduated and is pursuing his PhD in Engineering.

As many of you know, Jenn and her little girl Annaliese aren't doing shows any more.  Jenn is staying in the NC office to work with our bead stores and jewelry designers.  Annaliese is doing great.  I hope to get more pictures up in our gallery soon.

How we got into this:

BeBe has been into beading for many years.  About 10 years ago, we were attending local wholesale shows often to buy supplies. BeBe's orders were increasing and I had started dabbling in eBay sales. My first attempt at importing was a batch of glass beads from India.  The sales went well so I booked a trip to Tucson for my first buying trip.  I loaded up on semi-precious gemstone beads and we were on our way. I did my first show in Atlanta in March of 2001 and haven't looked back since. We now average over 40 bead shows per year.

Trips to Asia:

In 2005 I took my first trip to Hong Kong. The next year my daughter Beth accompanied me to Hong Kong and China on a buying trip. I seem to find better sources each time I go to China.  I have had the opportunity to visit many factories and have traveled further into China with each visit.  It has been a great experience to see the people of China grow over the past several years.  I am always amazed at the desire of the Chinese workers to make a better life for themselves.  The salary of the average worker has doubled since I started my trips and the conditions of the factories have continued to improve.  I am proud to be a part of their success.

Evolving Products:

Our product line has changed a lot since the beginning. Our first beads consisted primarily of Indian lampwork beads. Our focus now is on gemstone beads, glass beads, base-metal beads, and freshwater pearls, primarily from China, but we also carry resin beads, findings, supplies, and everything else I find that I like.

What next?

We are continuing to work on our website.  I hope you agree it is getting better!  We have many shows planned for this year.  Please check out our show schedule and visit us soon.  We are also very active in providing great value for our stores.  Please take a look at our bead store programs then give Jenn a call to discuss a trunk show or store visit.

Thanks again for making this a business that I truly love.  We hope to hear from you soon!

Bill