Beading has become more than a creative pastime for Renee Flores -- it's her life.
"I put my heart into it," she said. "This is one of my passions."
Now she hopes to share that passion with others with her new store, Native Wayz Beads Galore.
Flores previously ran a courier service called Red Pony Transportation, which she started in 2005 after a traffic accident forced her to leave her job with Cessna.
Meanwhile, she began to sell her items, which she has been making for about 20 years, at area festivals and craft shows.
"People kept asking me, "Where's your store?' " she said.
With the long hours driving taking a toll on her back, which was injured in the accident, she decided to close the courier business and opened the store.
Specializing in Native American and contemporary jewelry, sterling silver jewelry and a variety of hand-crafted and beaded items, Flores said she has one criteria for her inventory.
"I look for unique things," she said. "Unique is so much more fun."
Part of her eclectic collection comes from the pride she takes in her American Indian and Hispanic heritage.
It is a pride that Flores, who is of Apache descent, has passed along to her family.
Her daughters, 16-year-old Casara and 15 year-old Nicolette, have been named Indian Princesses by local American Indian organizations.
The girls also help out in the store, along with Flores' 9-year-old son, Joshua, and her nephew, 14-year-old Marques Flores.
Flores said she wants to expand to offer beading classes, but for now she is concentrating on showing her customers and family that a passion for what you do can make all the difference.
"This is a business, but it's also a life," she said. "It's my life."
Source: kansas
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