In The Hood: February

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Sweet Success at California's Only Beekeeping Store

By Angela K. Nickerson

The sweetness of success lingers in the air at 21st and X streets in Sacramento. But perhaps that’s just the honey. In any case, for 20 years, the folksy store front and warm yellow interior of Sacramento Beekeeping Supplies has welcomed passers by, visitors and apiculturists (beekeepers).
    As California’s only retail beekeeping storefront, Nancy and Fred Stewart ply hobbyists and small commercial beekeepers with tools of the trade, accompanied by friendly, expert advice.
    Bees mean big business in the Central Valley. California’s agricultural economy depends on bees for crop pollination to produce more honey than any other state. But SBS serves small time beekeepers, not commercial giants. When Nancy Stewart, 67, opened SBS in 1985, she stocked her tiny store — about 500 square feet —with the basics of beekeeping and waited.
    “No one knew we existed,” she laughs, “Someone would come in and say, ‘I want this,’ and I would say, ‘What’s that?’ It was an interesting way to start and learn about my business. We were able to start slowly.”
    Although SBS fills and ships phone orders, Nancy says there’s no need to develop an internet or mail order business. Mom-and-pop status serves them — and their customers — well. 

Continued...

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