About Carson
Business Owner
Carson has turned her creative background into an always-evolving retail business in which she can share her knowledge of personal adornment and design with the community. Her story begins with her exciting childhood, traveling the world with her family and experiencing craft and adornment at a hands-on level - she played dress-up in Oakland, learned leatherworking and weaving in Seattle, crocheted raffia purses in the Philippines and discovered crafty 70s fashion in the San Fernando Valley.
In 1976, Carson entered Kenyon College intent on pre-med but quickly found her true calling in Costume Design, eventually earning her MFA from Carnegie-Mellon University and going on to teach Costume Design and Technical Theatre at Tufts University. After 18 years, She resigned from her position as Head of the Design program in 2000 to purchase the Boston area Beadworks franchise stores. She immersed herself in the world of small business and the bead industry. Ten years later, the franchise agreement ended and Carson entered another world - that of the fully independent entrepreneur.
The stores, located today in Cambridge and Salem, Massachusetts are now known as The Boston Bead Company; everyday, Carson and her staff are committed to presenting the finest beads and findings from around the world to their loyal customers. Combined, they bring over 40 years of experience as bead buyers, jewelry designers and retail managers.
The Boston Bead Company’s mission is to make the art and craft of personal adornment accessible to everyone. This means not only offering beautiful, high-quality products but also educating customers through an extensive calendar of classes, in-store demonstrations and the online beadOpedia resource center. Customers can keep up to date via the Blog, E-Newsletter, or via Facebook or Twitter.
