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A home for all things very mindful, very cutesy and very daring over demure is Susan Alexandra (33 Orchard Street on the Lower East Side). Known for her whimsical bags and playful jewelry, the brand is all about everything beaded and bright. Its bejeweled nature has attracted many famous faces, including Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber.
The Lower East Side Shop is a spectacle to behold with technicolor dog collars and leashes, bejeweled peacock fruit bowls and hand-beaded bags made to look like slices of watermelons. Even the door handle is beaded—a beaded peeled banana, that is. A few nights a week, this colorful wonderland hosts “Bead Nights” for a DIY evening of crafting and cocktails, a perfect fit for our Back to Class series.
While it's a bit of a narrow space, like most places in NYC, the store squeezed in two long tables flanking the checkout counter for class. Covered with yellow checkered tablecloths and white trim, each table held a range of jars and chalices filled with beads of aquamarine blues, juicy oranges and deep green, really, no color was lacking. While the largest jar on the table held a medley yet to be sorted, it housed the most interesting finds—flower petals, oyster shells, dog paws and strawberry gems. With the option to make two necklaces or a necklace and bracelet at the $78/person class, we were left to craft at our own pace.
As we worked, conversations naturally sparked at the table. One woman across from me spoke about her dachshund as she beaded her a collar. Friends who clearly hadn’t seen each other in a while talked future wedding plans while sorting beads and sipping on canned drinks, one spirited, one spirit-free. To my right, a couple hunted for the right letters to pay homage to the internet’s favorite butterball, Moo Deng.
In this way, this crafty evening seemed like the perfect third space for gathering. The associates told me that the store has previously hosted birthdays and bachelorette parties to companies looking for a stress-free team-building exercise. While at times I wished I had brought a friend of my own to chat with, sourcing the next beads for my creation kept me plenty occupied.
Inspired by the beaded watermelon bags around me, my first necklace played with a color palette of reds and greens with a few flowers thrown in. Thanks to the discovery of coffee bean gems, my bracelet took on a more neutral turn with brown and gold beads peppered throughout. Noting my interest, my table mates helped to dig out the caffeinated beads. Truly, a sisterhood.
Before we strung together our jewelry, we were invited to peruse the charm bar found at the checkout counter. The bar had a little bit of everything—tiny fried eggs, peas in a pod and perfume bottles to large gold letters and zodiac signs. For an extra fee, you could add as many jewels as you like. While the pomegranate with little ruby gems stood out to me, it didn’t exactly fit with my watermelon theme, so I fought the urge.
At the end of the evening, I left with my fruit-inspired necklace in a bag, my coffee bean bracelet fresh on my wrist and a calm feeling that only comes after a night of crafting.