One of the most fun days I’ve had in this entire lead up to TrinidadLookbook.com going live, was spending some time with jewellery designer, and retailer, Tameika Fletcher-Birmingham. Now, many of you may know Tameika as part of the whole Bang Bang clothing dynasty, but on that humid Tuesday afternoon Tameika would let me enter her beaded world.
Bead Cafe is a newfound love of mine. I went in for a chat before it was formally opened (I like sneak peeks), learnt how to make a three-minute pair of earrings, and walked out a budding jewellery designer. I seriously considered never buying another pair of earrings after Tameika was through with me! Located in the heart of Port of Spain – Frederick Court, Frederick Street (between Duke and Park streets) to be exact – Bead Cafe was in a mess. A good, productive mess though; the type of I-have-a-method-to-my-madness mess as Tameika whipped around the store hanging up packets of beads, tearing open newly shipped boxes of beads, and arranging her massive display of… you guessed it… beads. This is a jewellery maker’s elysium. I’m a dilettante jewellery maker now, and can’t seem to stop thinking about what new statement piece I can make instead of actually spending at least $100. I advise you get on this. Quick.
Tameika gets started on the earrings
Attaching the findings
Findings attached
It's coming along
Yay! Earrings in three minutes!
