About Bead Soup
Bead Soup is located in the Old Weave Building of Historic Savage Mill, a restored 19th century textile mill built in Savage, Maryland. Since we opened our doors we have become known in the DC and Baltimore Metropolitan areas as a friendly whimsical store with a little bit of everything. We offer a full selection of beads, beading supplies, tools, books, magazines, classes and kits.
Bead Soup not only offers premium beading classes, but instruction in needle felting, seed bead classes and PMC. Our guest instructors include local masters in their own medium, as well as nationally and internationally know bead designers and beading book authors!
For that special one of a kind gift we feature ready to be purchased unique, handcrafted jewelry, glass pendants and focal beads, bead crocheted jewelry, and one-of-a-kind items for sale from local artisans.
Meet Our Team
Kathy Fritz
Owner, Bead Artist, Lead Instructor
Bead Soup
Kathy has been beading small crystal balls from Japanese patterns for quite a while! Still her signature item, she has sold shiny crystal balls for many years to local buyers at craft fairs, friends, family, and in the summer of 2006 to a small shop in Delaware's Rehobeth Beach. This expansion into the retail market helped to expand her work and the reviews of her beadwork were overwhelming!
That one retail experience was the catalyst which produced Bead Soup located at Historic Savage Mills. Making the decision to open her own bead shop, Kathy started teaching beading and selling beading supplies. Constantly improving the size, complexity and variety of her own bead designs, Kathy teaches with enthusiasium to her students.
In 2011, Bead Soup and Kathy celebrated the third anniversary of her store's opening and in 2012 she moved into a much larger store located just down the hall from the old one! Kathy is looking forward to opening many more!
"I hope you enjoy the store, products and my designs as much as I enjoy making them!" - Kathy Fritz
Jo Ray
Senior Instructor, Bead and Felting Artist
Bead Soup
Jo has more creativity in her little finger than most of us have in our whole bodies! Having once worked as an electrical engineer, Jo switched careers, taught herself to beadweave, and starting beading and felting almost three years ago. As our senior instructor, Jo's classes and patterns are always fun and unusual. In her spare time, Jo works with polymer clay and her felted items are funny and whimsical . Pictured is Jo with her self portrait felted hat pin! Known for her eclectic array of hats and bubbly personality, Jo is a valuable asset to the Bead Soup team!
