It’s not something economic developers hear very often – a business moving to Hampton Roads to have more access to commercial airline flights.
But for a small company that operated for nearly two decades on Martha’s Vineyard, an island off Cape Cod in Massachusetts, the region seems a hub of air travel.
The Bead Goes On, an importer and distributor of specialty beads and silver jewelry, packed up last year and headed hundreds of miles down the East Coast to set up shop in a small Virginia Beach warehouse near Lynnhaven Mall.
“The bottom line was we had to get off Martha’s Vineyard because of the inconvenience of travel,” said Sally Roesler, the company’s owner. “We have wholesale clients from around the country, and the airport here is a major improvement over Martha’s Vineyard.”
Roesler started the company in 1989 and began importing beads from Thailand, Nepal and Indonesia. The next year, she opened a retail store called Beadniks. Continue reading.
Photo: David B. Hollingsworth | The Virginian-Pilot.