EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — For Leah Wyckoff, opening her own bead shop has always been a lifelong dream. That dream became a reality on June 1, 2024. Wyckoff told 12 News her East Providence shop, Bead Chroma, attracts so-called "beaders" from far and wide. "I sell jewelry-making supp lies locally and to those across New England," Wyckoff said, noting that some beaders will drive "several hours" to visit her Warren Avenue store. Wyckoff, who dove headfirst into the beading world as a teenager, also sells her supplies online through her Etsy shop. "It's niche. It really is," she continued. "There are few bead stores left." Wyckoff's goal since opening her brick-and-mortar shop last summer has been to coax beaders back into stores like hers. "I think COVID taught a lot of beaders how to become comfortable with shopping online," Wyckoff explained. "Now it is my job to bring them back and show them what a brick-and-mortar store can do for them." That's why Wyckoff is "terrified" of President Donald Trump's tariffs taking full effect. "I'm taking it one day at a time," she said. "It's hard for me to know which moves I should be making." Trump believes the tariffs will spur manufacturing within the United States and in turn create more jobs. But Wyckoff told 12 News it's not that easy, especially when it comes to beads. "Beads have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years — long before the United States was industrialized," Wyckoff explained. "[Beads] have already been perfected by other countries." "Our best seed beads come from Japan. The best crystal beads come from Austria," she continued. "The best glass beads? From the Czech Republic. There are also a lot of supplies manufactured in China that aren't manufactured anywhere else. I have no choice but to shop abroad." Jewelry-making tools typically aren't sold in the United States either, according to Wyckoff, because other countries have been making them for centuries. Wyckoff said she's already noticed price hikes across the board. She has also heard from several of her suppliers abroad who are implementing their own tariffs due to the "uncertain and unstable" market. If and when Trump's tariffs take full effect, Wyckoff said she won't be able to eat that cost. "I will have to pass them onto my customers in some way," she said. "I'll try to make it as painless as possible, but my business would close if I didn't do that." Wyckoff prides herself in carrying a variety of beads, ranging from affordable seed beads to higher-end crystals. For example, Wyckoff said the beads she buys from Japan are perfect, precise and "already expensive as it is." "To now have to raise those prices even higher is really unfortunate," she said. The tariffs will also impact her more affordable beads and could drive customers away. "Everything I carry is going to go up," she said. "It's scary." Wyckoff is thrilled her shop will be celebrating its one-year anniversary this summer, but she's also worried that Bead Chroma's success will be short-lived. "Shopping online opened up a world for [beaders] of sources to go to," she said. "Now I have to get them back in here, and it is going to be that much tougher if I have to raise my prices because of these tariffs." In the meantime, Wyckoff is urging everyone to support small businesses as much as possible. "Just look at what a small business can do for you that a website can't do," she said. "To me, that is worth paying a little bit more." Bead Chroma also offers jewelry-making classes and workshops for beaders of varying skill levels. To register, contact Wyckoff directly at BeadChroma@gmail.com with the name and date of the class in the subject line. NEXT: Fall River business monitoring potential tariff impacts Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media:                     Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW ...read more read less