SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The latest addition to the lower level of the Centre Square Mall is Pauline Williah's venture.

Williah, originally from Behchoko, moved to Yellowknife one year ago with the intent of providing her kids a fresh start but also to open up her own store - a store that would provide Yellowknifers with greater selection for beads.

Pauline Williah is owner of Northern Crafts, the latest store to open in the Centre Square Mall. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

"I've been here (in Yk) for over a year," said Williah. "I moved here for school and so my kids could have a different environment than from living in a small town. I thought it would give them more choice (for) movies, sports, this and that."

The store, called Northern Crafts and which Williah runs on her own, is nestled in a small space beside the former location of Jan's Card and Gifts; the NWT SPCA often sold its calendars from the space.

The digs may be small, but that's just the way Williah wanted it.

"I love it, because my idea was just mostly beads, smaller crafts and stuff," she said. "I don't think I would have done very good in a bigger place ... that would be just too much inventory to fill.

"This is a really good location for me, too. There's a security (person) who's always around. I haven't had any problems yet, but it's good to see him around all the time."

Williah's store is chock-full of beads of every colour, which take up a significant part of the store. But the store, which opened on Oct. 27, is also dotted with several paintings from Roger Arrowmaker and a wide range of dream catchers.

Outside of the beads that come from the United States, "it's all made from people in the North," she said.

Speaking of those American beads, Williah said those are a prime draw of her store.

"It's different because the beads that they carry in Canada are available anywhere, and it's cheaper. The beads that I carry from the United States are really bright and the colours are so different from the Canadian beads."

Because she doesn't have any help, Williah is taking a course in office administration at the Academy of Learning to help her brush up on her computer skills.

"The business is just me. It's too small, so I can't really afford to have a bookkeeper," she said.

In the lead-up to her store's opening, Williah crafted as many purses and bank card holders as she could, selling them to Yellowknife stores in order to get enough money to order the beads she needed to open her store.

It took a lot of patience, and a lot of time, she said.

"I started ordering beads way back. I couldn't order in a big bulk because that would cost quite a bit. I've been making things and selling them at a lower prices to other retail stores around town. I've been doing that for months, just to order the beads!"

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.