Travis Pollanz, left, and Eric Pollard, co-owners of Bead Opus, talk about promoting local artists in January 2016 at their store in downtown Centralia.
Beads organized into groups are on display at Bead Opus in downtown Centralia on Monday afternoon.
Eric Pollard, left, and Travis Pollanz, are seen in the reflection of an art piece as they talk about their store, Bead Opus, on Monday afternoon in downtown Centralia.
Eric Pollard, a co-owner of Bead Opus, stands near the front door of the shop in downtown Centralia.
A new shop in downtown Centralia aims to give people a creative environment where they can explore their artistic traits and buy items not typically available in the Lewis County area.
Bead Opus, located on North Tower Avenue, has evolved since the business first opened its doors in June. Owners Travis Pollanz and Eric Pollard said they thrive on appealing to a broad spectrum of people. From asteroids, meteorites and fossils, to essential oils and candles, the store seems to have a little bit of everything.
“We use the phrase ‘leave the rules at the door’ because we want things to be a creative environment where individuals really have the opportunity to embrace their creativity and embrace the potential of anything,” Pollanz said.
The evolution and willingness to change has inspired the store, which originally just sold beads and jewelry, to offer a larger variety of items, including work from five Centralia-based artists.
“It’s always changing and I hope it always changes and evolves,” Pollard said.
Pollard grew up on a cattle farm in Raymond, and works as a hairdresser in Olympia. He purchased a home in Centralia about 10 years ago, and after Pollanz moved to the area, they decided it would be the perfect location for their store.
“This downtown is just a little gem,” Pollard said, adding the area is a very business-friendly place. “We try to encourage other people to come down here and support local businesses and give Walmart a break.”
The duo complement each other well, with Pollard handling the financial side of the business while Pollanz deals more with the creative side.
As a longtime artist, Pollanz has worked for Chanel, L'oreal and Armani. He has worked with “America’s Next Top Model,” and has helped consult department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Later he managed a bead shop in Portland, something he fell in love with.
With no stores quite like Bead Opus in the area, Pollanz said it was something that fit the city, as well as themselves.
“There weren’t a lot of choices that suited me personally within Centralia, so Eric and I talked about it and decided that this would be a really good venue for the city and then also for me,” he said.
The store was created to have a “museum feel” to it, a place where people can come in and find the unexpected.
Items are community fair-trade, and mostly from the United States.
“It’s all about sustainability. That’s always in the forefront of our mind,” Pollanz said.
Along with a mix of collectibles and precious stones, Bead Opus offers three classes, with more in the works. Right now, classes include basic beading, wire wrapping and earring making.
Pollanz offers design consultations helping customers make new, unique pieces, and also redesigns old items.
“We are able to take heirloom pieces and recreate something new so if you have an old pearl necklace that belonged to your great grandmother and it’s nothing you are going to wear, but you want to wear it, bring it in,” he said. “We will sit down and we’ll draw out a design and then construct it so that individual is actually able to enjoy it.”
Offering items people would otherwise have to drive over 30 minutes to have access to, the shop has been doing well, according to the owners.
For both Pollanz and Pollard, the store is meant for more than giving artists a place to start off, or a location for people to buy items.
“We really sort of embrace the poor man artist philosophy,” Pollanz said. “We want people to be able to use art as therapy or as a means of creativity, and it’s a nice way to take a break from what’s going on outside in the world.”
