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

The store concept came in part because I had been working with my friend on marketing his honey, but had been wracking my brain to figure out how to make a single brand stand out in the marketplace. I had always known that bees were essential to life, and felt that they didn’t get the credit they completely deserved for all their work. I decided to dive really deeply into the world of bees and honey to educate myself further. The fact that the worker bees are all female, and the hive has its own structured society, was fascinating to me. The more I learned about it, the more in awe I was of the superior instincts the bees possess. 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. Honey tastings reminded me of the 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…it was so special. The fever dream of a boutique selling all things bee and honey needed to become a reality!

The idea of opening this honey emporium was very exciting to me. Everything bee, everything honey. In addition to a curated collection of not one, but many, well-vetted, artisan honeys originating from local, national and world sources (again with the 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 interactive experience as well. And that’s how Grand Central Honey began…