A special time, amid COVID-19, in the year 2020

Can you believe 2 years ago this month (Small Business Saturday to be exact) I opened my doors at 27 North Avenue, in the village of Webster, for the first time. What an exciting first year I had!

This 2nd one, however, has been challenging to say the least. I was closed to the public for 87 days! It was lonely inside there, but you and I both found ways to get you what you needed, safely.

I want to thank you ALL for your continued and new support. Your business and the way you spread the word has helped me keep the doors open. I thank you for that.

Please read below for new product info, reminder of hours, service updates and COUPONS for you.

Shop early with extended savings.

So many new items:

New Hard Lotion Bar fragrances, new scents for the Suncatchers, my Elderberry Syrup, Holm Made Toffee from Oregon, frog, cow and turtle ornaments, imported German hard candy, beeswax skincare for Mama and Baby, infused honey, whipped honey, hot honey, Bourbon honey, Buddha CBD teas, organic CBD oils from Hemplucid, shrubs and Fire Tonic, more honey spoon flavors, silicone jar openers and Lillie Pads (the anywhere coaster), beeswax crayons, beeswax wrap on a roll, Buckwheat honey, Matcha whipped honey, and so much more. If you have not been in to visit recently, I think you will bee pleasantly surprised.

Update and reminder of ways to shop:

As of October 1st, 2020 I have new and adjusted hours as follows:

Tuesday 4pm-7pm

Wednesday - Thursday 10am-4pm

Friday 10am-2pm

Saturday 10am-3pm

**please note I will EXTEND hours beginning Friday December 4th - Wednesday Dec23rd.

Curbside pickup is ALWAYS available. When placing your order at checkout please choose Customer PICKUP Curbside as the shipping option. There is no charge for this service. Your order can usually be filled within 24-48 hours. I will reply to you with an email for pickup. You can always call for same day needs.

Local Delivery is another option available if you reside in the following towns: Webster, Union Hill, Penfield, Ontario, Ontario Center, Fairport and Macedon. There is a small fee for this service.

Shipping via online ordering: If you are not in the above towns you can have your items shipped to you via USPS or UPS.

Join my mailing list by visiting my website thenorthbeeshop.com for updates and offers.

Here they are!

To celebrate my 2 year anniversary and Small Business Saturday as safely as we can, following the current guidelines, I am offering these savings from NOW through December 5th!

Three full weeks to save and shop vs one weekend!

Please watch your email for TWO money savings coupons you can use IN-STORE!
For those shopping ONLINE please enjoy this money savings offer of 15% off your total using this code: TWOYEAR15

August is here and so are new items!

I hope you are staying well and mentally healthy, the best you can. These times sure are something for the books! Soon the sunny, hot days and nights full of musical sounds will wind down and the season will change, as will our health.

If you aren’t sneezing and rubbing your eyes from allergies you probably know someone that is doing so daily. Next thing we know those sneezes and scratchy throats will be from other fun visitors, not the pollen that is currently floating about, but fun “back to school” and “hello fall” colds and viruses. The regular run of the mill every year stuff!

I am happy to tell you the elderberry syrup will be steadily and readily available to help you and yours during the upcoming cold and flu season. You will be able to find many tonics, syrups, oxymels and even shrubs in the coming weeks. I love experimenting with these tried and true, old fashion, natural health remedies. Made from fruits, vegetables and herbs these alternative infusions make a great health tonic and offer a nutritional boost to your daily diet. Not only by the spoonful or in a beverage but they can be included in your culinary preparations. You can use them in a tea, mix with sparkling water for a natural soda, take by the shot glass, or add to a favorite dish. Drizzle over salad, try on your chicken dish or even in a soup recipe. Try experimenting. Look up recipes. Oxymels, tonics, syrups and shrubs allow many ways to incorporate botanicals, vinegars and herbal infusions into your daily routine and better your health and wellness.

If you haven’t heard I discovered a beekeeping family that infuses their wildflower honey with fruits and vegetables for the most amazing, delicious flavors you could imagine. These have been a hit and flying off the shelves. No worries. I plan to keep them stocked. There are 15 flavors to choose from. Here’s a sampling: apple, caramel, ginger, lemon, razzleberry, smoked and even watermelon. And that’s just a start.

Lastly, I came across another beekeeper (see the theme here) that makes these really delicious and unique beverages sweetened with honey. How about a Honey Sparkling Water or Honey Cream Soda? There even is a Honey Ginger ale.

More and more doctors are telling their patients to find honey for their sore throat, nagging cough and even laryngitis. After all, honey is a natural food with proven health benefits, also known as a functional food.

The North Bee in the village of Webster hopes to help you and your family nourish your mind, body and soul this upcoming season. I look forward to seeing you.

An invite to Science Now! - STEM & STEAM

On January 23, 2020 I took part in the Thomas C. Armstrong Wayne Middle School PTO Science Now! expo. An evening of interactive demo and hands on learning experiences for the kids, and no kidding, the big kids, too! Even moms and dads, big brothers and sisters engaged themselves in the wonders of beeswax and honey.

Many tables filled the cafeteria, each representing a business where STEM & STEAM can be found. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math. While STEAM includes art. There was virtual reality, plastic molding and silicone demonstrations, the Rochester Museum and Science center even had a spot. I was parked between the DEC, think deer decoy and a remote controlled wagging tail, and Intergrow - the indoor greenhouse which emits that eerie glow towards the sky in the evenings. On those foggy nights…well, eerie doesn’t seem to be fitting for the supernatural scenery that is created. Actually, the nice young man that headed the table for Intergrow and I had some good conversation regarding the bumblebees they use for indoor pollinating.

The evening was buzzing with eager and excited children and their parents. All here to learn how STEM & STEAM can be found in businesses in and around the community. My 2 tables had 4 demonstrations or activities for the visitors to enjoy.

They could learn the why, what and how about bees and their products of the hive. There was a frame of used drawn comb, a jar of crushed comb and some honey, crushed comb that had been given back to the bees to cleanup, a round of rendered beeswax and several of my products that had been made from the beeswax. The hands on items helped attendees understand how a frame of beeswax can be turned into a candle, hard lotion bar, lip balm or beeswax wrap for your sandwiches.

They could also try on beekeepers gear. There was a tote full of veils in all styles, gloves, a couple pullover vests and even a couple jackets. They could puff the (empty) smoker and feel the bristles of the bee brush that is used to gently brush the bees from frames, or yourself.

Many enjoyed the honey tasting station. I brought 6 varieties of honey to taste. Our local honey in summer and fall. Maine blueberry honey. Washington buckwheat. Patagonia rainforest honey and the newest edition to the tasting table, African Forest honey. So many people were surprised that honey could taste so different or that there was actually different types of honey. Yes, there are! Forty of them are on the tasting table right in my store in the village of Webster waiting for you to have a taste.

However, I think the most popular activity was Can you Spot the Queen? I had some large visual posters by Hilary Kearny, at the Girl Next Door Honey. She takes some amazing photos and turns them into useful tools for teaching about bees. These were specifically about searching for the queen bee. If you could find her in a given time you won a bee pin or honey stick. The bee pins were almost gone by the end of the evening! Everyone loved the honey sticks, too!

I think we all enjoyed ourselves; talking about bees, tasting local honey and far away honey, too! I’m looking forward to the next Science Expo!

If you have a group or event and would like to learn about the products of the hive, send me a message or give me call!

One year already! Come celebrate with me.

It was just a quick, short year ago that I was sitting in traffic daydreaming about what was always on my mind……having my own place to melt beeswax, share my passion for bees and honey and sell my creations. I happen to look over to my right while waiting for the light to change and there was a FOR RENT sign on this cute little white house in the heart of the Village of Webster.

What? Could it bee?

No more packing and unpacking crates and totes, no more multiple trips up and down the stairs and packing the car the morning of a show, because you can’t leave beeswax or honey in the car - might be to cold for the honey or too warm for the beeswax. No more melted wax in random places of the kitchen, like the counter, floor, or stove top. Yes, my husband could have the kitchen table back, instead of just his spot. Most of all, I could talk about bees, share my passion and relay the importance of bees to adults and kids of all ages. I could even make a room just for the kids to take in all things bee, and let the grownups take in all the Handcrafted Goodness of the Hive.

Yes, it was.

I had found that spot by chance and I have been making it work ever since. Each month has been change and growth. I am happy to have this opportunity to be your stop for local honey and handcrafted beeswax products. Including skincare, pet products, candles, beeswax home decor, honey from across the country, gift giving items, natural wellness and select lines of hemp CBD wellness items.

For all the local folks that would like to celebrate with me stop in the store at 27 North Ave, Webster to enter your name for a chance to WIN my GIVEAWAY basket (worth $165) full of goodies!!! Look through the photos here to see the basket. Next time you are in the store to restock your honey, skincare or CBD products fill out an ENTRY CARD and pop it in the cute mailbox by the door on your way out!

The GIVEAWAY runs through December 4th. Drawing in store on December 5th.

Thank you everyone for helping to make this first year a success.

Local honey for your health and wellness needs

It’s that time of year to be searching out the raw honey. I am happy to be your one stop for not only unique handcrafted gift items, but also raw honey. Local honey and honey from across the country can be found in my store located in the village of Webster in Western NY.

Did you know there are over 300 types of honey produced by the bees here in the US? This is due to the different nectar sources available to the bees for forage. Different areas of the country provide different plants which in turn makes the difference in honey - light, dark, sweet, bold, molasses tasting or perhaps even cotton candy. Have you heard of Star Thistle, Avocado, Buckwheat, Meadowfoam, Tupelo or Ulmo honey? Those are just a few types of what you will find available to taste and purchase. You can always find local honey here.

Summer and Fall local, raw honey is now available in my Webster store.

The honey tasting table always holds over 25 different jars of honey; varietals (single source nectar), infusions, blends, creamed, whipped, liquid, crystallized, comb, sticks and polyflorals from across the country and my own backyard! I even carry honey from the Patagonia Rain forest in Chile, South America. I am certain you will find a favorite honey and even a backup or two.

Honey has been used for thousand of years to treat coughs and sore throats among other ailments. People may also use honey to treat allergies and for that local honey is first choice. You can be sure to find local honey most anytime of the year at the store.

However, for your seasonal sore throat and that cough from the cold you are sharing with the family ANY raw honey is best. Raw is preferred because once honey is processed, meaning heated or filtered, it loses any health benefits and is just a sweetener at that point. When it comes to raw honey I’m sure you will find one that suits your taste buds.

I hope you will keep The North Bee in mind this upcoming season and all year round for all your local honey and health and wellness needs.