Employee Discounts: Beadnicks

Amethia Clay wanted to get her mind off a busy schedule, her computer and her work. She wanted to do something that wouldn't require analysis or complicated thought.

So moments after receiving an e-mail about a beading workshop at the Duke Women's Center, Clay responded with an RSVP and attended the April workshop with about 20 other Duke students and employees. She created a ring using fire-polished glass beads.

"It was really a chance for me to decompress," said Clay, a financial management analyst at Duke. "It was just good to focus on something that wasn't taxing on the brain."

Tracy Thomasson, assistant manager of Ornamentea, a bead and craft shop in Raleigh, and coworker Megan Diamond led the Women's Center workshop on April 19.

As beading grows in popularity, Sandie Stern, who runs The Bead Room in Durham with husband Peter, has expanded from a 12-by-12 foot room to 4,000 square feet. Their space has a studio, office and three rooms filled with thousands of strands of freshwater pearls, precious gemstones, glass beads, shell beads and more.

The Bead Room offers Duke employees a 10 percent discount on most gemstones and glass beads. About once a quarter, the store hosts a special Duke Day for Duke staff and faculty featuring more discounts and special events such as visiting artists or workshops. Ornamenta does not offer an employee discount, but shoppers can qualify for a frequent buyer discount card.

Stern, who worked in various positions at Duke Hospital from 1979 to 1986, said she's happy to offer The Bead Room discount as part of PERQs, Duke's employee discount program. "I would have liked to have something like this when I worked at Duke," she said.