Shop Small: Brandon’s Breezy’s Beads Focuses on ‘Family’ Customer Care

Rated “Brandon’s Best” for “bead shop,” is not hard to find on Oakfield Drive in Brandon, across the street from Brandon Regional Hospital.

The sign hangs proudly, as testament to store owner Kim Tice’s contention that what stays in the community builds the community.

“That’s one reason I started the business, I wanted to start a small business so people could come in and feel welcome,” said store owner Kim Tice, in an interview leading up to Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26.

Customers “are family to us and we care about them,” Tice added. “We try to get to know our customers by their names. They can talk to us about anything. They can stop in and say, ‘Hi’ and they don’t even have to buy. That’s what we wanted and I think we’ve achieved that. We’ve been in business 10 years.”

Tice’s business involves beads, beadings, special gatherings and classes and a whole lot of imagination in creative undertakings and design.

“Every year is different,” she said about holiday seasonal trends. “We always do well with angel earrings, Christmas tree earrings and little Christmas present packages, a tier of three boxes with a bow on top.”

Outside the store hangs a banner notifying passersby that Breezy's Beads, in the Brandon News & Tribune's readers' poll, received the 2011 Gold Award for Bead Shops."

"We offer good prices, a lot of wholesale prices, discount prices, 25 percent off all beads on a string," Tice said. "We have some buy-one, get-one deals, too."

As for Small Business Saturday, an initiave launched by American Express, Tice has nothing but a an obvious high regard.

"You've got to support the small guys, the little guys," she said. "It should be 'shop small' all the time. You don't have to fight the traffic, fight the lines. You're not going crazy and you can come in, sit down and relax."

Breezy's Beads is at 226 Oakfield Drive, across the street from the Brandon Regional Hospital. The store is open Tuesday, Thursay and Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Wednesday, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturday, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

On Dec. 5, 12 and 19 the store will be open Mondays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and later, if necessary.

Open beading is scheduled for Dec. 8, 15 and 22, with extra hours, from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

The store will be closed Dec. 24-31.

For information, call: 813-661-2110.

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