Union Square Bead Store Open Sundays: Beads of Paradise

Beads of Paradise has sold beads at 16 E 17th St since 1986, and it keeps one of the longest schedules of any bead store in Manhattan: 11 am to 7:30 pm Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6:30 pm on Sunday. The shop sits on the short block between Fifth Avenue and Broadway, three blocks north of the 14th Street–Union Square subway hub. This October the storefront is wrapped in scaffolding, but the shop's own notice is blunt about it: they will be open the whole way through.

The shop's homepage carries a simple line, "Providing New York City with international flavor since 1986," and the stock backs it up. Where most bead counters in Midtown lean on Japanese seed beads and Czech glass, Beads of Paradise organizes its catalog around beads with a passport: African and European trade beads, Asian trade beads, and named categories such as Naga, Baoule and Dzi. These are the pieces collectors and stylists come for, and they rarely turn up at a craft chain.

According to the shop, everything on the floor is handpicked and vetted by the original owner, Brian, working alongside a management team that has been in place for more than 15 years. That continuity matters in a business like this. The people pulling strands for you have watched the same sources for a decade and a half, so a question about where a brass bead was cast or how old a glass strand might be usually gets a real answer instead of a shrug.

Prices are posted on the shop's online catalog, and the in-store strands follow the same lines. A strand of 2.5mm smooth carnelian rounds is listed at $15.60, which is a fair entry point if you want a warm orange spacer for a stretch bracelet. A strand of 3mm faceted moss agate runs $40.80, and the 5mm faceted labradorite cubes, the ones that flash blue when you tilt them, sit at $76.80 a strand.

From the trade bead side, a Fra Fra strand of lost-wax cast brass beads from the African and European Trade Beads collection is listed at $68. Those beads are cast by hand, so no two are quite the same size, which is the point. If you are building a necklace around one heavy pendant, bring it with you: matching scale and color against the real piece beats guessing from a photo on your phone.

Skip the instinct to buy only the showiest strand on the wall. The small gemstone rounds are where Beads of Paradise quietly beats online shopping, because you can see the actual color of the carnelian or agate in person before committing, and a 2.5mm strand at $15.60 goes a long way in a multi-strand piece.

The shop runs a Sunday class called Foundations of Jewelry Making, held from 12:30 pm to 3 pm, at $84 with all materials included. It is open to students aged 12 and up. Plan ahead, though: the schedule says October 18, 2026 was the last class of the year, and sessions resume in January 2027. If you want a seat in the first winter class, ask at the counter when bookings open rather than waiting for the January rush.

Custom jewelry and repairs are completed in-store, and there is a dedicated jewelry repair service, so this is a sensible stop if a strand of family beads has snapped or a clasp has given out. You can also buy online and pick up in the shop, which is handy if you already know the strand you want and only need to grab it on a lunch break.

One house rule is refreshingly relaxed. The shop says outright that it does not mind if you take photos or videos. That makes it easy to photograph a strand next to your outfit or send a picture to a friend before buying. Be considerate anyway: step aside for other shoppers when you shoot, and ask staff before taking a strand down from its display.

Arriving at 11 am on a weekday gives you the shop before the Flatiron lunch hour starts. Saturday afternoons draw more foot traffic, because the Union Square Greenmarket three blocks south pulls a crowd into the neighborhood. If you want unhurried help matching beads, a Tuesday or Wednesday late morning is the time to ask for it.

Sunday is the hidden advantage of this shop. Many Garment District bead suppliers close on Sunday, while Beads of Paradise opens at noon and stays open until 6:30 pm. If your project is a weekend one, this is the shop that is actually open when you have time. If the shop is crowded when you arrive, take a lap of Union Square Park and come back in twenty minutes rather than squeezing in.

The scaffolding outside is temporary and can hide the window display, so look for the street number as you walk the block. The entrance is still on East 17th Street, and the shop has said it will stay open through the work.

Pair the visit with the Union Square Greenmarket, which fills the north and west sides of Union Square Park on market days. Buying a bag of apples and a bunch of flowers before heading to the bead shop is a very New York way to spend a Saturday morning, and the park benches make a good place to sort through your purchases.

Walking north up Broadway brings you to ABC Carpet and Home at East 19th Street, a multi-floor home store whose textiles and lighting are a useful color reference if you are designing jewelry around a palette. Keep going and the Flatiron Building appears where Broadway crosses Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street, with Madison Square Park just beyond it for a coffee break.

If you came for trade beads specifically and want a second stop, Toho Shoji on Sixth Avenue by Bryant Park is the opposite kind of shop: deep on Japanese seed beads and findings rather than collectible strands. Visiting both in one afternoon gives you the full range for a mixed-material piece.

Address: 16 E 17th St, New York, NY 10003, between Fifth Avenue and Broadway. Hours: Monday 11 am to 7:30 pm, Tuesday 11 am to 7:30 pm, Wednesday 11 am to 7:30 pm, Thursday 11 am to 7:30 pm, Friday 11 am to 7:30 pm, Saturday 11 am to 7:30 pm, and Sunday noon to 6:30 pm. Nearest subway: 14th Street–Union Square, served by the 4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R and W trains.

Budget: small gemstone strands start around the $15.60 carnelian rounds, mid-range faceted stones like moss agate sit at $40.80, and collectible trade strands such as the Fra Fra brass are $68. The Sunday class is $84 with materials included, for ages 12 and up, returning in January 2027. Bring the pendant or clasp you plan to use, and ask Karpo in the Karpo APP for a nearby lunch spot once your bag is full.