lebeado At Home - Interview With Kate Watkin
Kate was recently interviewed by one of the country’s leading home shopping
magazines – here’s the interview, with Kate explaining the full lebeado At Home
concept
So Kate, lebeado At Home, what’s it all about?
Basically the idea is that we take the full lebeado shop experience and bring it
to you – and your friends – in your own living room
Anywhere else?
Sure. We’ve already done all sorts of groups – parties, WI’s, we’ve even taken lebeado
into schools
So the basic idea is that I buy a few bottles of wine, get my friends round and
you introduce us to beading?
Yes, it’s something that’s really fun to do in a group. We have that all the time
in the shops – groups of friends coming in and spending the afternoon beading and
making jewellery to their own design
It’s not something I’ve ever tried? Is beading difficult?
No, not at all. But at the same time it’s one of the most rewarding – and therapeutic
– things you can do. Creating your own piece of jewellery from scratch is just a
great feeling – especially when, you know, you’ve got a dress or a top and you want
something to go with it and you’ve marched round the bloody shops for about a hundred
years and you still can’t find what you want. For me it’s just one of the best things
when someone buys something and says, “Thank you. I simply couldn’t have done this
anywhere else.” Sorry, I got a bit carried away there.
So in someone’s house…just beads?
Absolutely not. There’s all sorts of jewellery and accessories – bracelets, bangles,
earrings – everything you can see on the website and more. That’s what makes lebeado
so fantastic for a party at home – the items themselves are small, which means that
we can bring a real variety into your home and there’s just something for everyone
How long do the parties last?
That depends on you really. Beading’s one of those things where you get into it
and suddenly you look at the clock and wonder where the time went.
I can imagine – presumably you need to be near one of the shops in Durham or Jesmond
to arrange a party?
No, that’s why we’re so excited about lebeado At Home. I’m going to be taking the
concept to London at the end of the summer, and then gradually we’re looking to
establish a network of lebeado Artists around the country. The shops and the website
are always going to be the heart of lebeado, but lebeado At Home means we can bring
the concept to people far more quickly – and in the comfort of their own home.
So are the parties just in the evening?
Again no. There are loads of groups that meet through the day – from Mums &
Toddlers…
You’ll need to keep the three year olds away from the designer bracelets!
…right through to professional women’s groups. Then I’ll be doing exhibitions, Christmas
shows, and like I said before, taking lebeado into schools
What’s the cost of a party?
There’s a basic cost of £15 per head – for that everyone receives a starter pack
of beads and all the necessary fittings. So that at the end of the afternoon or
evening you go home with an absolutely unique piece of jewellery. And you’ve made
it yourself!
Sounds good to me – how do I book?
Right now you can phone Katie at the Durham shop on 0191 370 9873 or Deborah (in
Jesmond) on 0191 239 9009