R&T bead shows

[Polly]

Hi Luann,
Our usual plan is to send a postcard or flyer about a month before the show, and we also send an e-mail about 2 weeks before each show.
So as long as we have your current address in our mailing list database, you should get both, with the formal and confirmed date, time and location.
(In case any current customers reading this have just moved: please give us a call at 1-800-235-8517 or use our address correction form:
https://www.rings-things.com/SECURE/addform.html

Also, although less than one out of 60 shows has had a last-second change, you might want to check the page one last time before hopping in the car for the drive:
http://www.rings-things.com/Show/index.html
We've been bringing more gemstones to our bead shows recently, but we always bring trade beads too.  
A lot of the gemstones that we take to the shows are bigger, cooler, limited stock gemstone strands than the ones we have in the catalog.  Big 14mm ocean jasper beads, crystalline geode-like beads, fancy cuts of green tourmilated quartz, and other things we aren't sure we can reorder at the same quality.  Some of them mix quite well with trade beads.

If there are any particular styles of trade beads you would like take a look at, let me know and I'll see if we can get them put in the truck.  I think that 2-4 weeks advance notice is necessary.
Also, we will be updating the trade bead section of our online store this month.  We should have 100s of new pictures and updated descriptions by the end of February 2004.
--Polly

I'm combining two notes now, so I can post a new note at the bottom of this page.  Why? Because this topic has pushed to two pages, so it sometimes looks like the last questions are not getting answered.

Anyhow, here's the next posting, from April 2004:

We do have 100s more trade bead photos online now, in our online store.  
Check them out by doing a search for
+trade +beads
We're not quite done with the whole list yet.  We're about 2/3 of the way through.   Be sure to click on the link [other] under the photos, to see larger or full-strand images.

And -- regarding the Bead Shows -- Luann, I know that Trade Beads are your favorites rather than gemstone beads, so please forgive me while I "plug" our gemstones.

In the last year, we've lowered the prices on virtually ALL of our gemstone strands.
We're now importing virtually all of our gemstone bead strands directly from high-quality stone-cutting facilities in mainland China.  Although the quality is good, the price is very low, because we've elminated all of the middle-man steps.  The only way to go more direct would be to cut the stones ourselves (but we don't have the patience or skills for that).

This has allowed us to cut many prices in half, or even 1/3 of our old prices!
You'll really notice this at the bead shows.
Or, if you don't get a chance to visit us at the bead shows, take a look at our expanded selection of gemstones in our online store.

--Polly

[atalanta]

I LOVE the trunk shows:icon_11:!!

Posting this question here since I've not heard an answer or comment to it.

Your Philadelphia/NJ Trunk shows happen right around the So. Jersey Bead Society Bead Binge event. Would you ever consider attending the show in lieu of the trunk show? Or have the Phila Trunk show near that locale (Cherry Hill, NJ).

[Luann Udell]

So, if we get too exhausted while looking at your beads, we can also take a nap?
Luann

[atalanta]

I'm planning on hitting the Newark, NJ show (can't get out of work early enough for the Philly one). What is the deadline to place an order to pick up at the show?

Thanks!

[Luann Udell]

Hi Polly,
I was browsing through your web site and saw R&T will be in Woburn MA around 6/23 this year.  Whoohoo!  I was wondering if you folks would consider doing an e-mail reminder when your dates & lodging are firm (it says on the site it could be in flux).  I've put it on my calendar, too, and I put in a bid for you bringing trade beads.  :^)
Thanks!
Luann (and thanks for doing east coast shows!)

[Russ Nobbs]

Hi Atalanta!

Welcome! Thanks for coming over to our forum.  I'll pass your suggestion on to Kim. He schedules and coordinates the trunk shows. He's on the road in California right now.

One of the reasons we don't do many multi vendor shows any more is size and cost of a booth. For similar money we can rent a whole ballroom and put out 20, 30 or even 50 tables of beads. At a regular bead show we get a 10x20 space with only a few tables.

Our trunk shows grew out of doing a hotel room show nearby a trade show. In that case it was an order-only glass or ceramic craft show. We couldn't sell any stock and had lots of one of a kind strands that sold best at delivery shows. We had a booth at the show and invited our customers to walk a block to the hotel and see our delivery goods there. It worked. Kim said "Ah HAH!" and the R&T trunk shows were born.

[Russ Nobbs]

Ahhhhh, well.... we rent the ballroom or conference type rooms usually, without any couches or beds.  But, you know, the carpets are sometimes pretty nice in those hotels.

So, sure, Luann, feel free to take a nap in one of the corners of the room. You might want to put a couple of chairs around you so the bead blinded shoppers don't stumble over you. The chairs might get used by folks sorting through their piles but the gentle sounds of clinking beads should help you sleep.

[Russ Nobbs]

Depends on what you need us to bring.

The truck is, of course, on the road so we are not bringing 50 gross of shower curtain hooks to you in our roll on luggage. (grin)   I think there are 2 groups of people flying out to the shows before the Newark show so we could bring a small order.  Call us today (1-800-366-2156) and check with Michelle about what way would get the goods to you best.

By the way, you know we do ship by common carrier like UPS and FedEx. Both are fast and reliable. :biggrin:

[atalanta]

Thanks. I was looking over stuff and it got to be too much. I'll just place a big order at the show. But if you could squeeze in some twisted bookmarks in white, that would be great!  :'>

[Polly]

Hi Atalanta,

Yes, we do take all the styles of bookmarks to the Bead Shows!

--Polly

[lexs_creations]

I have another question about the bead shows.  Are we allowed to bring a non-buying guest?  I would like to bring a friend just to help me pick things out (and probably to help me carry my purchases to the car!).  

Lex

[Todd]

Yes you can bring a guest just as long as you have your Tax ID or invitation in hand. They just obviously can't buy anything. We don't want you to not be able bring some free labor! '>

It is now less than two weeks before the Woburn trunk show--whoo hoo!  How time flies....
Do you know what hotel you will be at now, and dates for the show?
I can't wait for the postcard!   '>
Luann
P.S. Congrats on the nice new forum, too!

[WriteBrainedWoman]

Hi Luann.  I'm so glad you're looking forward to the show. The location and date for Woburn listed on the bead show page are still correct as of now:

Boston, MA — June 21st Wholesale Bead Show
Monday, 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Radisson Hotel
Grand Ballroom
15 Middlesex Canal Park Rd., Woburn, MA 01801
(781) 935-8760
Directions: South of Exit 35 off I-95 via SR 38

As for the invitation, I just checked into why you hadn't received one yet (we send them out a month and a half before each show and then again three weeks before). It turns out that your ZIP code is out of the mailing range for that show... we only send them to customers within a certain-mile radius of the show location, figuring people farther away than that won't want to drive that far. However, you've been talking about this show since February '> so you obviously want to come!  So we just dropped a postcard invitation into the mail for you for the Woburn show. It should arrive in plenty of time.  Just don't take that nap on the drive over   '>

Melissa

Thanks Melissa, I'll keep an eager eye out for the postcard.

You may want to rethink the limited zipcode thing.  We don't get many bead shows on the east coast.  I travel to the International Gem and Jewelry shows once or twice a year in Marlboro, MA and that's a good 90 minute drive.  And I haven't seen trade beads there in years.  (They also used to do one in Manchester, NH, but cancelled it a couple years ago.)  Woburn is 2 hours, extremely doable.  

If I can put in trade bead requests (it's probably too late now, isn't it?), it would be for the E bead or pony beads, especially the striped ones in greens, blues, browns, aquas; the Prosser disk beads (especially if you have them in those really unusual colors like aqua--I just stocked up from R&T with the brown ones!'>; those little pale blue faceted tube beads sometimes called "Russian Blues" but are the much cheaper variation; the older variety of "sandcast" beads made in Africa (these are striped browns, blacks, etc. and I love the smaller ones).  And if you have any robin's egg blue Vaseline glass bicones, I'm a sucker for them!  :^)

As I look over my wish list, I realize I'm truly a "bottom feeder" in the world of trade beads.  I like & incorporate all the smaller, cheaper ones in my work.  

Er....is Russ coming so he can show me how to solder?  :^D
Luann