The atelier
A long table, good light and a wall of work
We are three beaders in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, keeping an old craft alive with care, fair pay and a pattern book we add to every week.
Our story
From a market table to an atelier
Beadwork Atelier began with one table and one woman who could not stop asking her customers why they wanted a particular colour. The answers were always stories: a mother remembered, a child welcomed, a new job in a new city. Those stories became the colour guide, and the guide became the way we work.
We are proudly from Abeokuta, a city of dyers, weavers and makers. We buy our cord and findings from local traders and pay our apprentices while they learn.
Our years
How we got here
- 2014
A table at the market
Our founder, Mrs Adunni Okeowo, sold strands from a single table near the Oke-Ilewo junction.
- 2017
The first apprentice
Two young women joined to learn the craft. Both still string with us today.
- 2020
Orders by WhatsApp
When the market went quiet, customers kept ordering by voice note from Lagos, Ibadan and beyond.
- 2023
Upstairs at Palm Close
We moved into the atelier: a long table, good light and a wall to hang the work.
- Today
Six hands, one wall
Three beaders, a pattern book of more than 400 strands, and Saturday classes for newcomers.
Who strings your beads
The team at the table
Saturday classes
Learn to string your first strand
Three hours at the long table with Morenike. You learn to measure, choose and count beads, tie a secure knot and finish a tie-on strand, which you take home. Tea, beads and cord are included.
- When Saturdays, 10am to 1pm
- Group size up to eight people
- Example price ₦15,000 per person, ₦25,000 for a parent and child
What we promise
Three things we will not change
Honest materials
If it is resin, we say resin. If it is recycled glass, we say so. The label always tells the truth.
Respectful work
Waist beads are personal heritage. Our pictures and words stay modest, and every order is private.
Fair pay
Apprentices are paid while they learn, and every beader signs the pattern book for the pieces they create.
From the visitors’ book
What people wrote after their visit
I asked for a strand in my late mother’s favourite colours. They listened, explained each colour and made something I will keep for life.
Our bridal coral set arrived two days early and the fit was perfect. The elders at the wedding kept asking where it came from.
My daughter’s first string for her naming day, wrapped beautifully with a card about the white and gold. Very thoughtful people.
I ordered on WhatsApp from Lagos, paid by transfer and collected from the park in Ojota. Simple and honest.