Create in Faribault! Make your own unique jewelry with locally designed beading kits

Store owner Suzanne Klumb has 25 different kits available in her shop with something for everyone, from beginners to experienced jewelry makers. Customers can work on their own, take a class or schedule one-on-one time with Klumb. (Photo courtesy of Glass Garden Beads)

By BRIDGET KRANZ

Time, scissors and a smile – pick up a beading kit from Glass Garden Beads and those are the only three additional items required. Put it all together, and you end up with a finished piece of jewelry, handmade by you. Located downtown Faribault, Glass Garden Beads has created jewelry kits for over two decades. Owner Suzanne Klumb throughout the years is marketing her own designs as well as IP owned designs from six other designers to create a variety of bead kit patterns. Each kit includes supplies and easy-to-read instructions. Most are for bracelets or necklaces done in a style called “bead weaving.” Beads are woven back and forth with a needle and thread, creating intricate bands and shapes of color.

The kits at Glass Garden Beads range from beginner to experienced, with something for everyone. Klumb currently has 25 different kits available, with a library of over 80 rotating designs. Each kit is assembled at the shop in the city’s historic Bachrach Building. Kits are sold at the store or online encompassing wholesale to other retailers. Many kits have achieved national recognition in the bead hobby industry.

In addition to traditional kits, Klumb works with several local artists on what she calls “project inspirations.” Artists can bring in a finished piece of jewelry, and if she’s interested, Klumb will buy the IP rights and develop a kit or project to make for distribution. All samples are on display in the store. Customers can come in and – if they like what they see – learn how to create something similar with supplies and help from Klumb.

“I’m especially looking for bead woven projects,” said Klumb. “That way, if a customer comes in and sees that example on display, I can work with them and the supplies we have on hand and show them how to create something similar.”

IF YOU GO Glass Garden Beads is at 318 Central Ave. N., Ste. 105, Faribault. Reach it at 507-645-0301 or glassgardenbeads@gmail. com. For more information, visit glassgardenbeads.com.

Glass Garden Beads has kits and supplies to make all types of jewelry — whatever your heart desires. (Photo courtesy of Glass Garden Beads)

terns. This year, the pandemic inspired Klumb to rekindle her passion for textile.

“I’ve always wanted to do a line of batik design kits,” she said. “I finally had the time and courage to do it.”

She now sells batik kits called “Slow Stitch.” that can be used to make table runners, tablecloths, wall hangings even jewelry. She has combined her love of dyeing fabric and her love of weaving with beads. These too are on display for sale in the shop and have started to be distributed nationally online.

Kits are great for beginners because they take the guesswork out of buying the right materials.

Step-by-step instructions are provided, from set-up to finishing. More experienced bead-weavers can also use the kits as a starting point.

Glass Garden Beads also offers complementary, casual learning opportunities, along with structured classes and one-on-one instruction.

“When you take a traditional class, which I definitely encourage people to do for more focused instruction, you have a teacher sitting right there with you,” said Klumb. “In our classes and private instruction, it’s 100% focused, dedicated time.”

Klumb is currently putting together in-person classes for the fall for those who are comfortable. In the meantime, online kit sales have helped keep the brick-and-mortar location open during the pandemic.

The store is becoming a gathering place again — from local hobbyists bringing in their projects to other artists and students working with Klumb as a learning step in their exploration of beads and textiles. Come in and make something in Faribault! 

(Photo courtesy of Glass Garden Beads)

Football Lockers©Wenger Corporation, 555 Park Drive, Owatonna, MN 55060, www.wengercorp.com, GearBoss Customized Wood Lockers, Custom Wood Lockers, Custom Lockers, 10/2015, University of Minnesota, Athletes Village Football Lockers, Football Complex, Minneapolis, MN, Photographer: Mitch Kezar, laminate door surface, LED back lit nameplate, tuck back pocket doors with city scape hole pattern, pull handles, digital lock, short garment bar, four custom hooks, Padded hinged seat, Model: Jordan (red shirt), Horizontal Image. (Photo courtesy of Wenger Corp.)

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… all of which have followed the growth of the company.”

Jerry Wenger, the son of Harry and Ruth Wenger and one of several family members to work in the business, helped continue the growth of the corporation and by the company’s 40th anniversary, Jerry Wenger led them to their strongest year ever with the introductions of popular new product lines such as Sound module practice rooms, music posture chairs and music stands in music education, as well as Tourmaster portable choral risers and the Showmobile mobile performance center in the performing arts category.

“Being in the community, the (Wenger) family developed everything over the years and grew this business here,” Kingsley said. “There is a great workforce in this region and the one thing that we have done well is our building out process … building high-quality products and being able to do them well.”

Kingsley noted that the Owatonna plant has played a huge role in the company’s ability to remain an industry leader and also expand into new markets.

“This is a fairly vertically integrated facility … where we start with a lot of raw materials, like sheet steel and plywood, and manufacture most everything in house,” Kingsley said. “This plant is really like a lot of mini-manufacturing plants inside a plant because you have so many different product lines here.

“It is pretty cool just the amount of product that comes out of here and that we are able to do it in one spot. The other part that I have always been impressed with, for all that goes on in here, this is one of the cleanest manufacturing facilities I have ever been through.”

Kingsley added, “It just goes to show the pride the team members take in the business and where they work. That doesn’t happen on its own, it really shows the team members’ commitment to the business.”

Continued growth

When Jerry Wenger retired 25 years ago, the corporation turned to a management style led by a strong board of directors, which includes three of Harry Wenger’s grandchildren along with other corporate experts who provide a top-quality consulting resource for the company’s current management team.

The growth of Wenger Corp. continued with the addition of acoustical shells, wall and ceiling panels, new stage designs and other elements used by performing arts centers everywhere. The company soon became a top resource in the industry for sound expertise.

As much of the company’s business focused on the ‘front of the house’ aspect of the music industry, the Wenger Corp. became even a greater resource for the music industry by acquiring the J.R. Clancy Co. in Syracuse, N.Y., in 2011.

The addition of the J.R. Clancy line of backstage stage rigging, hoist and motion control systems created a comprehensive solution for music education and performing arts centers worldwide.

“With J.R. Clancy’s product expertise and our product expertise combined we can offer a performing arts center full of equipment from back stage to front of house,” said Stacy Hanson, Wenger Corp. director of marketing communication. “This includes acoustics, stage rigging, stage engineering systems and fixed audience seating as well as the stands and chairs that are on the stage. We do it all.”

The company’s current capabilities allows the Wenger Corp. to offer services and products that take their customer’s projects from an initial concept to a completed facility or resource. Their work has enhanced the music education programs at numerous elementary schools, high schools and colleges along with performance venues worldwide.

A recent example of its work was the installation of a suite of Wenger music products at the newly renovated Austin (Minnesota) High School band, orchestra and choir annex. The $14.5 million project was a collaboration of the Austin Public Schools, the MacPhail Center for Music and the Hormel Foundation.

Wenger products that helped make the renovation of the annex a success were chairs to promote proper posture, conductor’s equipment and ensemble tools, instrument storage cabinets, a percussion workstation, music library, cello racks, garment racks and StageTek staging and custom seated risers.

One of the highlights for students and teachers were the virtual acoustic systems that were installed in the band, choir and orchestra rooms along with Wenger’s virtual acoustic technology in studios for individual and small group practice sessions.

“Virtual acoustics technology is one of the exciting things we are working on now,” Hanson said. “ One of our expertises is acoustics and understanding the acoustics of a space and providing products that improve those acoustics. We have technology where we can actually change the acoustics of a rehearsal room or a performing arts center by integrating technology into that space.

“In situations where schools have a limited amount of space, our technology can make that one space usable for so many different things, whether you have a band in there one day, or a speaker the next, you change the acoustics to fit that environment.”

Industry leader

The virtual acoustics technology also helped schools during the pandemic since it allowed them to split students into smaller groups and help maintain proper social distancing.

“The VA (virtual acoustic) rehearsal technology was very effective during COVID because you could split the group into smaller groups and record their session, and they could play with the larger group even if they were not in the same room,” Hanson said. “The technology allowed them, even when they had reduced class sizes, to still be able to practice and perform together, but to do it virtually.”

Virtual acoustics is just one way that Wenger has remained an industry leader.

“We are always looking to stay in front of the technology and utilize technology to best manufacture, serve our customers and gain capacity,” Kingsley said.

In 2004, the corporation built on its legacy of musical equipment storage and created its GearBoss brand of products to help meet the equipment storage needs of school athletic departments and sports organizations.

From there, the company added standard and custom wood lockers to its product lineup. These lockers have met the growing needs of athletics and include features such as storage options for things like helmets, bats or shoulder pads, team logos, LED lighting, USB ports for charging devices and built-in sanitation and ventilation measures. Flexible storage and transport carts provide solutions for teams’ needs on the practice field or stadium.

GearBoss has helped provide facility solutions for projects locally at Minnesota State University Mankato along with the University of Minnesota. This includes the Gophers’ locker rooms for football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s hockey, soccer, baseball, softball and volleyball.

“Like the lockers at the U (University of Minnesota), these are custom lockers,” Kingsley said. “In those situations, our customers are really looking for a certain look or design inside the facility. We like to start with them upfront and try to work with them in developing that design and work with them all the way through the process. It really helps us make sure we are providing the best value for the customer.”

Wenger’s connection with athletics is just another example of how the company continues too evolve to meet the needs of its customers. The company currently employs over 500 employees at its plants in Owatonna and Syracuse, and it offers nearly 600 Wenger, J.R. Clancy and GearBoss products in over 50 countries around the world.

“Our reputation and products have taken us into a wide variety of markets such as performing arts, rental and production and broadcast and entertainment,” said Wenger CEO and President Chris Simpson. “Wenger is a classic American success story. For 75 years this has been a place where good people put hard work behind good ideas. It’s a place where quality counts and products are built to last. Most importantly, it’s a place that helps bring music to the lives of people everywhere.” 