Ushering in A New Era
Our New Ownership Celebration
Last weekend left us with one major takeaway: What an incredibly supportive community we have behind us.
On Saturday, we invited our loyal customers and the local community out to our store in Maple Valley to celebrate a truly momentous occasion as our Founder Norm officially handed down the business to his daughter Natalie and her husband Chase.
The celebration was marked largely by our hosting our very own miniature market, a first for us at our store location. We wanted to host a market to symbolize our deep roots as a Farmer’s Market business, which will forever be our legacy and centerpiece of our business model. The vendors we were fortunate enough to have join us ranged from longstanding business partners we have known and loved for years, like MommApothecary and All Pets Pet Bakery, as well as brand new local businesses like Utopia Coffee Roasters, whose first ever event was this event! From Maple Valley Marshmallow, to Peace Loaf Bakery, we had something for everyone. Each vendor offered thoughtful suggestions pairing their various products with our delicious raw honey, and in the case of Willow Wisp Books, book + tea pairings featuring teas from another of our favorite businesses, The Natural Mama Co.
Local favorites Cascadia Pizza were also on hand slinging pizza for hungry guests, there was cornhole and crafts for the family to enjoy, free honey-tasting (of course), and our esteemed Beekeeping expert/researcher/professor had a wonderful informational booth with live bees and a wealth of knowledge for all those interested in learning more about honeybees and their importance to our world beyond providing us with honey! The market was the centerpiece of our event; it’s presence indeed drove much of the day’s engagement - and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
The climax and main event, however, came at 1:00 when the Chamber invited everybody present to gather around our storefront as Natalie and Chase, together with their son Jackson, cut the ribbon on Bees In The Burbs, LLC - a first for our business in our fifteen year history. It symbolically marked a major changing of the guard at Bees in the Burbs, as Natalie seeks to bring some of the first changes the business has seen in its history. The store has been refreshed and reorganized to optimize the shopping experience for our guests (shout out to Frankie @savoringspoonfuls for her dedication and time in this effort!). We are also in the midst of a major rebranding effort, featuring all new brand color template, labels, graphics, website photography, and logo (which you have noticed on our new sign in front of the store!).
It’s Official!
This celebration was about much more for us than symbolically passing the torch; it was our opportunity to share the new and ongoing changes with the community and customers who have relied on us for their honey and beekeeping supplies for many years. And its our chance to show you that nothing you love about Bees In The Burbs is leaving, and that we fully intend to stay true to who we are while we grow, innovate, and modernize.
Lots of new and exciting opportunities lie ahead for Natalie and the team, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have the loving support that we felt on Saturday from the community.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
with love,
-Bees In The ‘Burbs Staff
