Leekan Designs

LOVE this place!
If you like beads this is the place to go!
Amazing amount of different stones and materials from all over the world.
People are friendly and really helpful.
I am a regular client and every time I go I found beautiful pieces for my projects.

GREAT place! Annie and the great ladies who work there are AWESOME! DON’T try any BS with Annie — she will see right through you to the bone! I love the place and I WILL be back!

I visited this store today and there were many colorful items, but nothing extraordinary. Further, the owner and her young assistant never even acknowledged my presence. Considering that there were just two other people in the store and they were a couple — and they left before I did — I was rather incredulous about the lack of interest in a potential customer.

Found this store walking home one day. I make jewelry, so I’m always excited to find a place close by selling interesting stuff I’ve never seen anywhere else. The staff is wonderful. Great resource.

They have good stuff, the lady is a bit of a dicey charachter. nice and cranky all the time, no matter how much you spend. she really doesnt get it… Over priced but good stuff.

I love everything in this shop. It’s my go to for special gifts. Always warm and friendly. Worth the price. Some hard to find items and antiques. Quality above and beyond China Town — they don’t even compare.

It’s a great bead store, but the other imported items, though cool, are way too pricey. Better to go to Chinatown or even Pearl River Mart if you just looking for an Asian gift. This store is for jewelry-​makers, not for anyone looking for finished products from China or Asia. As one of the first Asian import stores, they still benefit by the listings they received in tourist guide books. Draw the line & know when to move on.

Well, I was unaware Leekan had moved from Broadway to Rivington street. I’ve always found them a little overwhelming – even the beads, and I’ve been stringing beads ever since I could thread a needle – and never bought anything.
I’m happy to see they moved east, and I went in on this overcast, wet day with a little dog I was walking; they liked her and welcomed her. There was a sale going on, and although I was quite attracted by the beads and jewelry – they have a great representation of Tuareg jewelry – what won me over were the re-​purposed rice and feed bags, made into totes and backpacks. I ended up getting one with a smiling golden retriever on it – made out of a dog-​food bag, naturally – at 30% off!
They have gongs, incense burners, and brassware – and cymbals! Don’t tell your kids! – they also have boxes with paint and ink sticks, as well as papers to write on and blank books to write in. (Uh, full disclosure: I broke the glass cover on one of these paint boxes when I brushed by the display; they saw, but didn’t make me buy it.) I don’t have the space or disposable income for most of their decorative items, so I’m – relatively – safe!

I live in LA and i shopped at Leeken when it was over in Soho. I could not believe it when i went there and it was gone… And then I found it again on Rivington. The prices are on the high side but if you spend over $ 200 or $ 300 (can’t remember exactly) its 50% off. The owner can be a bit brusque but if you chat him up he is a wonderful source of information and great character… as for the dog some one mentioned, when I was there in late May 2012, the dog had just died and the owner was bereft.
I love the store and the people, they are very real and know their inventory. I have also gotten better prices by buying in volume. But I always approach the man in a respectful way. He grumbles and gets out his calculator and gives a better price.
I cannot think of many bead stores that I enjoy as much. The beads are beautiful the non-​bead products are cool and I love the owner, his wife and the woman who works there. I will have to ask their names!
I am going to NY this week and Leeken is always on my schedule.

I love this store! I’m a jewelry designer who frequently shops for supplies (a few times a month at least) and this store is always on my list. It must be said though that Leekan has a lot more to offer than just jewelry supplies – they stock unique and interesting finds from all over Asia and beyond. They have antiques, an impressively large selection of gongs, beautiful Buddhist statues, lamps, home décor, fabric purses, and more. Fun stuff to check out when you walk in, for sure.
In the back of the store are all the beads, and there are endless options to choose from. If you happen to have a Tax ID, you should definitely bring it here. They have great wholesale prices – I usually get 50% off most of the things I buy (but in fairness, I always buy a ton of stuff – like $ 200+). This place is all about exotic, unique, and amazing beads and gemstones. I buy a range of metal and gemstone beads each time I come. They sell everything from $ 1.50 charms and $ 5 strands of hematite to $ 200 strands of fine silver beads, and everything in between. If you’re looking for something but can’t seem to find it, make sure to ask the staff. Somebody knowledgeable is always there to help and they will often make suggestions. It is easy to spend an entire afternoon poking around this store, and I highly recommend it!

Let me begin with this precautionary warning: if you are a person or persons who has an insatiable need to purchase beads under the misplaced assumption that you will go home and create your own jewelry, decorative gifts or «shiny things» to put on your shelf, then do yourself a favor and pretend that this store does not exist.
If you read my cautious words and it only piqued your interest more, then you’ll definitely want to come to this store. From the street, it looks like a boutique version of Pier One Imports, but stepping through the door reveals a variety of interesting imported Asian items, Indian woven bags and potential «cute presents» to give your friends and family. Just a little further in and you’ll find the walls of strings of beads that I warned you about before. Every color, shape, size and country of origin — these beads be bangin’! Behind them lies a half a million other charms and beaded elements, stones and strings. A strand ranges from $ 10 – 25, there were some beads at $ 4 – 8 a piece. If you have any imagination at all and if you know what DIY means, then hide your credit card because you’ll end up spending at least $ 70 in one fell swoop since these suckers are pricey. At least, that’s what I did. And then I made three strands of beaded bracelets, got bored, and then put my pricey beads in a box and forgot about them.
And now, I feel guilty. Thanks a lot Leekan!

Beautiful store… they offer handmade jewelry, home furnishings and trinkets and more, straight from Africa and Asia. The people there are sweet and the prices are cool too.
I bought two necklaces with glass beads from Africa and one is from Kenya to be more specific! :)

The store is well known and has some interesting beads but expensive. However, when we entered the store my husband noticed the store dog, a terrier.
We are dog lovers and he put his hand down to let him smell him and the dog growled and bared his teeth. I told him to stop the dog was growling. He turned and walked away.
The dog followed him and was barking, snarling and charging him, until the shop girls finally came and pulled him away.
This dog should not be allowed off leash, let alone near customers.
This dog was not on a leash and could easily bit a child or my husband.