With the promise of cooler autumn weather just around the corner, many folks plan day trips to explore new areas, check out different shops, enjoy local festivals, and just have fun. You don’t have to look too far, though, to locate a unique collective of merchants in the Prince Frederick, Maryland, area – two of which we’re featuring as our Merchants of the Month!

Located in the Central Square Shopping Center at 143 Central Square Drive, Bag-O-Beads and Ch’Naca Fiberworks are part of the Shoppes of Southern Maryland, a collection of talented artisans who offer instruction in their specific areas of expertise as well as the opportunity to purchase finished items. The shops also offer a wide range of raw materials for basketry, jewelry making, spinning, weaving, knitting, stained glass crafting and fine arts. Leslie Downs (Bag-O-Beads) and Nancy Donley (Ch’Naca) met and became friends while at the Calvert Country Market, spending five years there before moving to Central Square a year ago. They continue to work together to keep creativity and artistry alive for their customers.

Bag-O-Beads features a full line of high-quality beads for just about any jewelry-making or beading project. Leslie initially opened a business selling antiques including vintage jewelry. From time to time she found the need to repair some pieces and eventually offered repairs as part of her business. As she shopped for beads and supplies to complete the repairs, Leslie was not satisfied with the quality of the supplies she was ordering online, so she decided to open her own bead shop featuring Czech glass beads and natural stones.  Thus, Bag-O-Beads was born! Now Leslie spends her time creating unique pieces – some using only new materials, and others using a combination of old and new — for truly one-of-a-kind items.  She also teaches jewelry-making skills to anyone who would like to learn, and she offers beading classes by appointment (to fit her customers’ schedules) and home beading parties.

Ch’Naca Fiberworks literally sprung from Nancy Donley’s purchase of llamas! In 1997, Nancy and her husband Chris were looking for a way to involve their daughter Catherine in the 4H program. They attended a llama show and came home with two three-month old llamas – Toby Tyler and Bravada – and have since added an alpaca named Café to their small farm. Nancy’s experience with fiber arts (needlepoint, knitting, etc.) got her thinking about ways to use the llama and alpaca fiber. Llamas are sheared once a year, and one shearing can net enough fiber (about 3 to 4 pounds) to make a sweater. Nancy began spinning and weaving llama fiber and eventually expanded into a full yarn and fiber works shop. The name Ch’Naca comes from a combination of her family’s first names.

Nancy dyes some of the fibers to produce stunning colors for any project – others she leaves in the natural color for customers who prefer to create their own colors. She also teaches knitting and spinning by appointment to afford her customers the maximum amount of flexibility. Ch’Naca offers sheep wool, silk, and linen in addition to alpaca and llama fibers, and some of the finished goods in the shop include shawls, capes, wraps, and woven items.

One of the unique things about the Shoppes is the atmosphere of companionship. Crafters are always welcome to drop in and work on projects together – there are areas dedicated for fiber-workers and jewelry-makers! Leslie offers beads that are perfect for incorporation into projects featuring Nancy’s fibers. Nancy also involves her customers and crafters in local service projects, such as making chemo-caps for patients of the hospital infusion center, and crafting helmet liners for U.S. servicemen and women around the world.  Both ladies can also be seen at local craft shows and events, demonstrating their techniques and selling their finished goods. Nancy will be at the Sotterly Plantation Wine Fest in October, and both Leslie and Nancy will be participating in the All Saints Episcopal Church (Sunderland) Christmas Festival in early December.

If you visit the Shoppes in September, mention that you heard about them through the Cash Flow Plus newsletter and receive 15% off of yarn and merchandise from Ch’Naca and 15% off merchandise from Bag-O-Beads. Look for the sign that says “YARN BEADS” and you’ll know you’re in the right place! The shops are open Tuesday through Saturday 9:30 AM to 5 PM, and Wednesdays 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM (Sundays by appointment).

Ch’Naca Fiberworks: 410-535-4344, www.chnaca.com

Bag-O-Beads: 410-610-1738, www.mybagobeads.com

Comments are closed.