Sarapaan

Great bead shop. Huge selection, including sterling silver. The prices, while not rock bottom, are very fair. Cool given that this is Wellesley. Staff is always friendly and helpful.

I loved this place. I needed to expand a bracelet that was given to me and went here to look for a bead or two to do this. Mei, the properties was so friendly and helpful. She has a wide array of jewelry as well as single beads and stones. I was treated really genuinely and not upsold at all. It was more important to her that I was happy and that the product looked good. I felt really taken care of.

Sarapaan is a compact, well-​organized, and well-​appointed bead store. The owners are as knowledgeable and patient as it gets. I am not a super-​beader or jewelry-​making expert, so I always have a lot of questions. The staff has taken the time to explain what products I need and even how to use them.
They have a good selection of gift boxes, and I’ve bought a lot for the glass pendants and key rings I’ve made to sell and give away. My recent projects involve rebuilding vintage bracelets and necklaces, and based on the owner’s recommendations, I have purchased elastomer cord, silk cord, jeweler’s glue, little needlenose pliers, and something that looks like a tiny icepick but which helps get my knots down very close to the beads. I created my first bracelet from scratch two weeks ago, and the owners were again very helpful, this time in explaining why certain gauges of sterling silver would be a lot more difficult for me to work with. My Domo-​kun charm bracelet came out great!
They do custom work (including repair work), and offer a customer loyalty card. I like to pair a trip to Sarapaan with lunch at Yama or Coconut Thai next door.