Meet Jean Elizabeth (Friends Call Me Ba) Glass | Owner and Chief Tea Mug Washer at Bead Biz

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jean Elizabeth (Friends Call Me Ba) Glass and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jean Elizabeth (Friends call me Ba), what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
Everyone says you need meticulous planning.

Make a written 5-year plan.

Yeah, well, about that. I had a plan, but it wasn’t firm, written, or even fully fleshed out. I wanted to open a bead store, which is how I started out way back before I started selling kits to knitters and crocheters.

I knew that in order to start the store, I’d need a lot of beads. I also knew that I didn’t have enough money to buy directly from the sources in the Czech Republic, India, and Japan. I could save enough to buy a bit from a smaller U.S. vendor. I contacted a woman in NYC and told her I wanted to come see her beads. Next, I drove from New Orleans to NYC and went to see her. I picked out about $5,000 worth of beads, and (amazingly) talked her into a payment plan.

I rented a shop in the French Quarter with a one-year lease and not enough beads to fill the space. So, I did what anyone would do. I set up a table at the entrance, and people could buy beads by stepping just inside the door and choosing from the two tables of merchandise.

Each time I had money above what I owed, I bought more beads. I got more tables and moved them further into the shop as I got more beads. It took about 3 months for me to fully occupy the space, but I did, and I never lost money.

I can hear all the business gurus spinning in their chairs as I write this. I changed things as I went along, I asked a lot of questions from other vendors and shop owners, and friends. I always stayed open to changing things around. I talked to customers about what new things they would like to see or do. “Stay the course” is really not a phrase in my vocabulary, and neither is “have a firm business plan.” My motto is more like “stay open-minded and open to change.”

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I always wanted to sing. I wanted to be the person who could break into song at the drop of a hat. Dammit,NO I wanted my life to be the campiest musical ever. One problem: I can’t carry a tune. Seriously. Does this stop me? Of course not! Just ask anyone who’s had to listen to me!

OK, so no musical career. Next up, drawing. The TV Guide (Do you remember that thing?) had an ad in the back promising me that I could draw. Just copy this simple cartoon drawing and send it in, and they would place you in a class. Young me tried to copy that drawing. I failed, spectacularly! Of course, that is the best way to fail, so I put it in the win column.

Next up? Writing. “Hey, I’m pretty good at this”, but I know it’s not a wise career choice, so on to grad school. Then a bit of a breakdown. (No, I won’t go into details.)

I can make jewelry, and people buy it! They actually like it. Now they want me to teach them. I got this. I can also sell them beads. Life is good, so naturally, the economy crashes.

I decided that yarn is crash-proof, and knitting with beads is a natural fit. Can I knit? No. Does this stop me? No. I used to say that if you gave me 2 sticks and enough yarn, I’d tie a knot so strong you’d have to cut away the pier to unmoor your boat. Miraculously, all it took was a knitted scarf and sheer willpower to learn.

Et voilà! I can knit with beads. I learned how to do the fancy stitches. I learned how to read patterns. I got bored. I wrote my patterns. I wasn’t bored anymore! People like my patterns. I can’t write enough of those! I got other people to write patterns with beads. They became my friends. I found my people. Life is good again.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
OK, so first off, I’m going to assume you are asking about Dallas. Next, I’m going to tell you that the only time I’ve spent in Dallas is during DFW Fiber Fest.
Now I can tell you what I do there, other than hang out with the Most Fabulous Fiber Community in the country. My youngest kid always comes with me (the police frown on leaving your children at home without supervision). U.S. food additives don’t agree with him, so I spent a lot of time looking for delicious places he can eat. Our current favorite is the Spiral Diner & Bakery in Fort Worth. (Yes, he does make me drive there after working all day.) He loves the nachos, and I like the burger there.
I also have old friends who live in Dallas, so we always get together and hang out. They aren’t big on touristy things, so the most they have ever suggested is going to see the site where Kennedy was shot. I’ve seen the X and the grassy knoll, but never even been to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. I hope to rectify that omission, but so far, I haven’t had the time when it was open.
That’s all I have in Dallas, so if you want to take me around and show me stuff, I’m down for it!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d have to give the shout-out to Judy Koenig, who gave me that initial bead loan. Not because of the 5000k in beads, but because of who she was: The Bead Bitch. She refused to marry the man her family picked out, giving up a hefty inheritance in the process, decided to start selling beads, and made enough money to buy a house with cash in the Forest Hills neighborhood in NYC. (Trust me, that costs a pretty penny!) She never backed down. She didn’t care what you thought of her. She believed in herself and her business. Judy was awesome!

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Image Credits
All Photos by Bead Biz