Mary's Beads in Huntsville, Alabama: the Best Kept Secret in Town

For those of you who like junk shops and thrift stores, Mary's Beads is one of the best kept secrets in town. Many people have driven past en route to their favorite cup or tea or coffee. Operating out of a little pink house in Historic Five Points (on Pratt Avenue just one store down from Olde Towne Coffee Shoppe), Mary displays more than your average pony beads. Her colorful selection is a variety of beads made from bone, glass, wood, jade, coral, and sometimes even teeth. Some are your garden variety seed beads while others are large and very ornate with pictures of dragons, animals, and people on them. Some are hand painted or even hand carved. If there is a specific motiff such as Western or Asian, Mary's Beads has something for you. I marvel everytime I go in; there is always something new to be discovered there. The store might be small, but every inch is jam packed with something interesting to look at.

While Mary caters to the beading enthusiast, she has a lot more to offer. Aside from two rooms full of beads in boxes, she also sells other items. Canvas paintings, some still in their antique frames, cover every wall. Boxes filled with old photographs, watches, buttons, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and who knows what else, line tables. Antique dishes, glass bottles, salt and pepper shakers, and even a disco ball are all for sale there.

I, who can't be considered a collector of anything, am however an appreciator of the odd relic. Friday Mary sold me an antique shot glass with a cameo set inside it. I was able to talk her down a few dollars, which is always a good selling point for a junk shop. Mary's exact words were, "Now that I became rich, I stopped caring." She's a sassy old lady, and she keeps her eye on you throughout your visit. However, she never makes you uncomfortable. Always blunt and to the point, Mary is never rude. She has a way of getting you to start talking. Before you know it, you're swapping stories and promising to come back soon.

If you're looking for furniture or anything particularly valuable, you won't find it there. Nevertheless, if you like good conversation and you love to bead or collect odds and ends, Mary's Beads is well worth the trip. Plan on spending at least an hour there. It takes that long to go through everything even if mary is being chatty.