As Beadniks owner and creator Sally Roesler prepares to relocate to Virginia Beach, the future of her 24-year old Vineyard craft store hangs in the balance. Ms. Roesler hopes to find a buyer by the end of the season, but if not, she may take the business with her. “There is a time in everyone’s life when you turn the page and start a new chapter,” Ms. Roesler said.
Ms. Roesler, a graduate of the University of Texas, honed her beading skills while sewing costumes for the Broadway musical EVITA. The work inspired Ms. Roesler to travel, and she spent several months gathering beads from locations such as Bangkok, Denpasar, and Kathmandu, before opening Beadniks on Church Street, Vineyard Haven in 1990. Since then, the craft store has become a popular rainy day destination for both Islanders and visitors. Ms. Roesler travels abroad annually to keep her customers interested with new and exotic beads. “The business and the travel opportunities it provides have been my life for the past 24 years, and now I am torn about taking it from the Island and the people who have memories here” Ms. Roesler said.
Ms. Roesler relocated her wholesale business, The Bead Goes On, to Virginia in 2008, where she joined her husband, television and film director Craig Sexton. Her hope is to find a buyer for Beadniks who can match her passion for travel, crafting, and beads from around the world. “It is my intent to sell Beadniks to an Islander who loves beads,” Ms. Roesler said. For more information on Beadniks, contact Sally Roesler at beadniks.com or 508-776-5798.