CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — An indigenous craft supply shop in the Grand Rapids area is launching a monthly storytelling event for kids.
Bead & Powwow Supply, located at 5747 28th St. SE near Kraft Avenue in Cascade Township, hosted its first “Festive Third Thursday” event on the 20th. At 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., kids can gather to hear Native American stories.
There are also craft demonstrations throughout the day, and a free sticker with a $33 purchase.
The shop also hosts Native American storytelling at 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
“I just want a chance to bring in artists and have demonstrations and try to get more folks in,” owner Ellie Mitchell said. “Showing them what crafting looks like in practice, and that it’s accessible and it’s learnable.”
Mitchell is a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and is an artist herself, with a focus on beadwork. She said she learned as a kid from her mom, who would sell dreamcatchers and other Native American crafts at powwows, and at the school she attended on her tribe’s reservation.
On Thursday, there was also another beadwork artists and a sewer doing demonstrations.
Bead & Powwow Supply recently celebrated its one-year anniversary at its Grand Rapids-area storefront, after opening on June 1, 2023. But the business itself has been around for more than a decade.
Prior to opening a storefront, Mitchell had an online store and would also sell products at powwows and pop-ups.
When COVID-19 hit, she said her online sales “increased like crazy,” and she was working 14-hour days to keep up.
“A lot of people who picked up crafting (during the pandemic) have stuck with it and just found it to be really rewarding,” she said. “We’ve seen our customer base expand since then.”
Her store focuses on quality, eco-friendly products. Along with quilting, sewing and beadwork supplies, she also offers art by indigenous artists.
“We really have an eye towards quality and taking care of customers and listening to customers,” she said. “Anyone who walks in, (if) they need help with a project we really like to talk to them and make sure they’re going home with the right products.”
Her goal is to launch a business to business program later this year to help get beading supplies into more reservations. She would also like to open another storefront in the Upper Peninsula.
Bead & Powwow Supply makes craft work more accessible, she said.
“It really helps to show visibility and show tribal youth, ‘Hey, you can do things and our art matters and it’s valuable,’” she said. “Our crafting is part of our traditions and our culture and also part of our wellness.”
