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Their beads are dancing around the globe Photo by Steve Johnson Owners Ed and Carol Garfield like the benefits of selling their wares -- such as handmade India glass beads, their most popular product -- on the Internet. Web site lets Medford couple expand their customer base without leaving home By JESSICA SMITH When Carol Garfield opened her Medford bead shop five years ago, she had no idea she would one day peddle the pretty baubles all over the world. But one Web site and 14 months later, Dancing Beads has filled orders for bead lovers in 39 states and 10 countries -- from Newfoundland to New Zealand. "We've made our business global -- but what's really cool is that we're selling something that's global," Garfield said, surveying her sun-filled shop Friday. Trays lining the East Main Street store's countertops hold mostly pill- and marble-sized, colorful glass and crystal beads from Czechoslovakia, Germany, India and Japan. There are disc-shaped beads African tribespeople made from vinyl records, bone pieces hand-carved in China, and vintage glass beads made by World War I refugees. With a Web site created by Garfield's husband, Ed, the couple has introduced Dancing Beads to customers who never need set foot inside the store. "This was the most logical way to expand our business without expanding our overhead," Carol Garfield said. The site's been up for more than a year, and the Garfields say it's been a surprising success. "Right off the bat, we were getting 200 hits a day," said Ed Garfield, who maintains the site and fills Internet orders -- which actually didn't start trickling in until three months after the couple launched the site. By November, the store was getting an e-order a day. Just last week, Ed Garfield said he mailed more than 20 packages to online clients. "It's just been so busy that it's hard to keep up with the Internet sales. But don't get me wrong -- that's a good thing," he said. Though the Garfields shy away from discussing dollar amounts, comparing 1999 and 2000 monthly sales show increases ranging from 150 to 177 percent. The Web site is responsible for about 25 to 30 percent of the store's total sales, the Garfields said. With such an increase in sales, the long-time Rogue Valley couple has learned it's sometimes hard to keep enough stock on hand. Customers who bought amethyst Swarovski crystals last month were out of luck in late March, after the fashion industry created the multi-strand crystal-bracelet craze. But the Internet site also has put Dancing Beads ahead of the trends, said Carol Garfield. A customer in Florida tipped her off to the "millennium" or "power bead" bracelet fad that peaked around Christmas and has since fallen off. The average Dancing Bead customer spends about $15 to $20 per sale, but some bead collectors can spend upwards of $700, Carol Garfield said. For those people, Internet auctions and Web sites have been a way to unload extra beads and jewelry of their own designs, she said. "So not only has it worked out for us, but I'm seeing e-commerce work for our customers, too." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA