Grief pushed this Hamburg woman to launch her own business

Tess Ware, Livingston Daily
·2 min read
Alia Wright, owner of Bea's Beads, poses for a photo while working on beaded jewelry at her home in Hamburg Township on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Alia Wright, owner of Bea's Beads, poses for a photo while working on beaded jewelry at her home in Hamburg Township on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

LIVINGSTON COUNTY — Like many with an entrepreneurial spirit, Alia Wright of Hamburg recently took her hobby and turned it into a business.

Through her online storefront, Bea's Beads, Wright sells beaded jewelry, all handmade at the lakefront home she shares with her parents.

Wright is a full-time equestrian trainer and part-time student at Washtenaw Community College, where she studies business. She hopes to eventually open her own boutique — but for now, she sells her creations online and at vendor shows.

Crafting and entrepreneurship have always been part of Wright’s life. Her first experience selling handmade items was in Girl Scouts. She was 12.

“I had a business thing called Boo Boo’s Duct Tape Crafts,” Wright said. “I would make wallets, flower pens and all that stuff. So, you could say I've always been a little creative in that realm.”

Alia Wright, owner of Bea's Beads, creates jewelry at her home in Hamburg Township on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Alia Wright, owner of Bea's Beads, creates jewelry at her home in Hamburg Township on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Boo Boo was her camp nickname. Bea’s Beads also comes from a nickname. Bea, pronounced Bee-uh, is a nickname Wright was given as a baby, because her older brother couldn’t pronounce “Alia."

Wright grew up riding horses and hunting, and she uses those experiences to inspire her designs, which lean toward western colors and patterns.

Beading isn't the only kind of artwork Wright enjoys. She loves working with clay and ceramics, but without access to a kiln, she's sticking to beads for now.

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Wright has dabbled in beaded crafts for nearly two years, but has been doing it consistently since May, when her grandfather passed away.

“It really just helped me focus on getting my mind off that and it helped me grieve,” Wright said. “It's relaxing. So even though (the beads) are little and it's kind of hard to see, it's just calming.”

Buy her jewelry online at beabeadsco.square.site.

— Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@livingstondaily.com. Follow her on Twitter @tess_journalist.

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Grief pushed this Hamburg woman to launch her own business