By Claire Dietz
When Karen Kubby approached the former owner of Beadology to ask about teaching classes, the owner told Kubby she should buy the store instead. Kubby was shocked.
“I actually screamed — in a public place — in delight,” she said.
So Kubby bought the store with her sister.
“I can’t believe, sometimes, we made our expenses with beads, but we did,” Kubby said and laughed.
Beadology, 220 E. Washington St., is one of the few remaining locally owned and operated bead stores in eastern Iowa; almost everywhere, the small establishments have been smothered by big-box stores.
Since its inception, Beadology has become prolific in the Iowa City community, in part because of Kubby’s nonstop desire for activity. The store plays host to a wide variety of events almost every day, from readings to bead-making classes.
“I’m a community activist and a business owner,” she said. “We want everyone to know what we’re doing here because we think we have something for everyone, so we put our events out to everyone. Not just our classes; we also host a variety of events. There will be poetry readings, or dances, or fundraisers for area nonprofits.
“We have space for the community to utilize. So we feel an obligation as a business to be part of the community, and part of that is philanthropy, and part of that is inviting people in and going out to the community.”
One nonprofit the area Beadology team works with is Gems of Hope of Cedar Rapids. Gems of Hope creates inspiring cards adorned with jewelry to give to cancer patients and their families. The partnership with Beadology seemed only logical, because its team had the asset the organization desperately needed: people with wire-working skills.
“We could provide free space and storage and a volunteer base for their system where they needed it,” Kubby said.
Another upcoming philanthropy event, Thanksgiving in July, is held to support local food banks from today through July 31. A $5 donation will get patrons an assortment of beads from a grab bag at the store.
Kubby said there is a need to help food pantries throughout the year, however, not just during the holiday season.
“It’s usually during winter holidays that many people realize that there are families going hungry in the community, and those same families are hungry all year round,” she said. “Thanksgiving in July started to make that point and tried to bolster the food-pantry coffers during the time that people might be might not be thinking about them.”
Kubby also has set her sights beyond the local nonprofits; she hopes to start her own proto-nonprofit as well.
“It would go support programming for a full spectrum of the community,” she said. “It is really exciting because having that area in your life and having the skills to then develop your own artistic voice can really make a difference for you.
“Whether that person is struggling with issues of poverty, racial tension in the community, questioning gender identity, or sexual orientation, all those things can be expressed through various forms of art. That can help people and identify with who they are and who they are in the world through their art, so it can be a really powerful thing.”