Carys Richards
If you wander into The Beehive on any given day chances are it will be owner Stan Hay who greets you from his customary post lounging behind the till and overseeing his shop.
The Beehive located at 311 10th Street N.W. stands out amongst the buildings that make up the Kensington shopping district. The small yellow house from which the business operates was built over a century ago and is one of the few remaining original structures in the community. Little has been done to change the house since the initial construction and the quaint cozy atmosphere reflects the easygoing nature of the people who manage it.
Inside The Beehive the shelves are stocked with body care products made with honey and beeswax. Each bottle of lotion and bar of soap is proudly displayed and was individually crafted by co-owner Sandra Wells.
“Don’t call her by her first name” says Hay “call her The Queen Bee. She is the queen bee and I’m the drone.”
Together Wells and Hay operate as a two-person show. Hay manages the front of the store greets visitors and mans the till while Wells works out of her shop downstairs creating the products that have made The Beehive successful for the last 16 years.
Regardless of whether a customer has been to the store before and even if they’re just browsing instead of buying Hay makes them feel right at home with his friendly disposition and his obvious passion for his shop and all of the products.
That attitude combined with the fact the owners believe in the products they sell is likely the reason The Beehive has been successful.
It’s obvious from the earnest expression on Hay’s face when he talks about the health benefits associated with honey and beeswax that he is completely invested in the merchandise. “It’s excellent honey because the area of Canada that we live in here in Alberta is good for bee products” he says. “We have the right flowers and foliage and temperature and climate. This is a great area for bees.”
All of the ingredients in the products are organic and gluten-free and Wells shops locally whenever possible. She has a supplier of honey and beeswax from a bee farm north of the city and tries to support other local businesses by accumulating the remainder of the ingredients from other Calgary companies.
When Hay and Wells met nearly two decades ago Wells was already crafting her products and selling them out of a cart. Hay was six years into his retirement from a career in banking and looking for a way to pass the time. They elected to go into business together.
The Beehive gives them both a purpose while allowing Wells to make her living in a way she enjoys. For Hay the biggest reward for his time spent at the store is the connection with his customers. Friendly and outgoing he strikes up an easy conversation with anybody who comes in.
But he not only talks to customers — more importantly he listens to them. By the time they leave he’s learned something about everyone that passes through the door.
“That’s a day in my life. It’s important and meaningful but it’s not too stressful” he says. “I’ve been retired for 22 years now and 16 of them have been in this store. I like to just be here and that’s what I do.
“I come in five days a week — Monday through Friday — and this is how I spend my retirement.”
