About Us
Beads of Marin is nestled in the foothills of Mt. Tamalpais in the town of Mill Valley, and on one of its quaint little streets, Locust Ave.
Beads of Marin has been part of Mill Valley and in the same location since 1994, prior to which it used to be a fireman bar and at least once a week someone comes in with a juicy story about the old days.
In 2002, Batel Libes needed to purchase beads for a lariat she was designing, decided to check out Beads of Marin, known for its large collection of quality beads. A “Store for Sale” sign on the front window got her attention. She bought the store and never looked back.
Batel’s background is in fiber art, but for many years she earned a living in the high-tech corporate world, where the distinguishing factor between one company and another often came down to the quality of customer service offered. At Beads of Marin we pride ourselves on offering unparalleled quality customer service.
We will talk you out of things we believe you don’t need to purchase, while making sure what you do purchase will work with what you had in mind. We will hold your hand (figuratively, though if you ask, literally too) while helping you design your creation, and will be supportive of you through your learning process. We will come over to you while you use our made-for-beaders work area.
At Beads of Marin we have a most eclectic collection of beads, ranging from glass to wood, horn, bone, stone, coral, turquoise, pearls, and more. We specialize in high-end gems and have a substantial collection of African beads, both old and new. We also carry over 80 chains in sterling silver and some 60 in gold fill, along with over 40 base metal chains. We also have over 150 different clasps in sterling silver, gold fill, vermeil, 14k and 18k.
We serve the beading community with honesty and integrity, offering a place for all to come and be welcomed, learn and create in a friendly environment that is supportive and encourages creativity.
In addition to serving beaders, we also try to serve our community at large and are members of the Shop Local 3/50 Project 
http://www.the350project.net In an effort to be part of the solution and not part of the problem, we stopped printing our class schedule and now post it only online (for those who do not have Internet access, we will gladly print out a paper copy). We found that we save about 1000 sheets of paper a month doing so. We also began using biodegradable “plastic” shopping and garbage bags. As more environment-friendly products become available, we will do our best to bring them into our store.
Looking forward to seeing you here soon.
Read about us in Kimmberly Winston's blog http://kimberlywinston.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/a-trip-to-beads-of-marin/