The idea for GRAND CENTRAL HONEYHoney woke me up at 3 am one morning. Needless to say, my two dachshunds were supremely annoyed at the lights disturbing their sleep. However, I made myself a cup of coffee and got on the computer and the outline for the business was done by 7 am.

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I had been working with a friend on marketing his brand of honey and had been wracking my brain to strategize how to make a single brand stand out in a flooded marketplace. I had always known that bees were essential to life, but knew I needed to dive deeply into the bee and honey world to educate myself further. The more I learned about this world, the more in awe I became. Then, after taking a honey-tasting course, I also realized just how extensive and varied the honeys produced throughout the world were. I had never tasted the goodness of small-batch, artisan honey until then. The honey tastings reminded me of wine tastings I had experienced and loved at vineyards through the years. A whole new world had revealed itself to me and I was hooked.

So the idea of a honey emporium hit. Everything bee, everything honey. It would carry a curated collection of not one—but many well-vetted, artisan honeys originating from local, national and world sources (wine store vibes) as well as a fun variety of bee-inspired gifts, books, skincare, jewelry…and much, much more. It had to be an experience as well. And that’s how Grand Central Honey began…

We met the people from the Savannah Bee Company at the Fancy Food Show in New York City. They are celebrating their 20th year and have grown exponentially, but the CEO, a beekeeper since childhood, keeps the ethics and philosophy of the company very grounded. They are a recognizable and well-known national brand with a following.

We jointly decided to have Grand Central Honey become a “Queen Bee Retailer,” which means that we carry all their core products.

We positioned their product in a store-within-a-store setting. The brand is a big draw, and customers stopping to purchase their honeys can browse other amazing brands while in the store.

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The name of the store originated because of the nature of honey—no two harvests are exactly alike, so each is really a LIMITED EDITION.

Just like passengers in Grand Central Terminal, the honeys converge in the store (station) and go to their destination. We have an ever-changing stock and are excited when we receive a brand-new flavor or product line. New small businesses which have developed bee- or honey-related items come to our attention almost daily. It is wonderful to see such an unfolding of interest in this area.

The focus of the store is the experience a guest can enjoy while perusing and tasting the selections. Our staff is always ready to answer questions, and we truly love talking to honey fans. We have a fun selfie room where guests can pose with neon wings and a crown—true queen bee vibes. Everyone loves our virtual observation hive. The Bee Bar is a fun place to taste any honey in the store to enjoy its properties and aspects. We offer a range of private events available for our customers to book, as well as public special events we host for all our guests. We look forward to expanding our repertoire as we evolve—to keep informed of happenings, definitely sign up for our “Buzz” email list. Also, please share with us any suggestions, recommendations or ideas you have!

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I hope you enjoy THE STORE!

Sweetly,

Cindy McCartney

Founder & CEO