Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Thatcher.
Armed with a business and behavioral management degree, Diana – Splendor’s founder and owner – enjoyed many successful years in commercial real estate. Reaching the age of 40, she felt drawn to nurture her inner artist and began researching alternative business ventures.
Gardening as a therapeutic outlet naturally led her to love garden art and ornamentation. In 1995, after 18 months of research, she capitalized on the lack of such garden art in the Dallas area and opened her first retail shop, Splendor In The Grass. Located across from the Dallas Arboretum’s Public Gardens, for nine years, Splendor offered garden art, stained glass art, fountains, wind ornaments and statuary to the metroplex area.
Following an inner yearning for change, she relocated Splendor to the Lakewood Shopping Center, re-conceptualized as a gift gallery. She offered garden art with a newly added focus on finished jewelry, inspirational items, hanging art glass, fragrance, gifts + cards.
Within a couple of years, the jewelry business had grown substantially and she begun buying strands of semi-precious beads to make into custom necklaces, bracelets, + earrings for her customers. She was hooked. “…what fun it is to touch and feel all those wonderful stones – wish I could sell beads…” she mentioned to her brother one day. His reply: “Why don’t you buy some strands, hang them up, and see if they sell?”
That was many years ago, and she has bought and sold more strands than she ever imagined. In the summer of 2006, the store was once again remodeled and re-conceptualized, adding classes, + focusing on its growing bead boutique aspect The store name was officially changed to reflect the new direction. Beads of Splendor had arrived!
Once again in 2014, Splendor faced another challenge/growth opportunity: relocation! Now located at 9047 Garland Rd., Beads of Splendor has truly blossomed into “the most beautiful bead store in Dallas.”
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Never smooth, but always a learning experience.
It has taken years to bring together the right team- each staff member has unique, strong talents that play a huge part in making the magic of Splendor happen.
Determining + sourcing the right mix of products for our customers has been a trial and error process. We always follow our gut instincts rather than chase whatever is fashionable at the time… Sometimes we nail it + other times…well let’s just say it has made for some great sale table finds at the end of the year!
In 2014, we took a risk + moved the store location from a quaint, but hard to find shopping area in Lakewood. It was a risk that paid off with a new customer base, and a larger, more modern store + classroom. So glad we did it!
Beads of Splendor – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We sell beads, + jewelry making supplies, teach jewelry making classes, + sell ready to wear, locally-handmade artisan jewelry.
We are known for stocking high quality, hand-selected gemstones, freshwater pearls, + jewelry supplies as well as small size jewelry making classes for adults offered in a variety of disciplines from beading to soldering.
We are proud to say it is not unusual for first time customers to gasp in awe, or exclaim “What a beautiful store!” and tell us how much they love us…
Our shop is a pleasure to enter – everything is displayed beautifully and well organized. We offer a unique selection of rare + beautiful gemstones and findings as well as staples like Czech glass, crystal, and seed beads. Our strands of gemstone beads are all hand selected and often limited in quantity. Our staff is available to assist in selection and design of your project.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment has to be when I first realized what an important role we play in our customer’s lives – we just love being people’s “happy place”.
Contact Info:
- Address: Beads of Splendor
9047 Garland Rd.
Dallas, TX 75218 - Website: www.beadsofsplendor.com
- Phone: 214-824-2777
- Email: info@beadsofsplendor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beadsofsplendor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Beads-of-Splendor-188202301225775/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
