Bee, Myself & I

Now here’s a story. In 2007, I had to make a big decision. I already had 990 square feet of space that was the Queen Bee bungalow on Culver Blvd. I was paying the rent from savings I had tucked away for my own place while running my garage studio. Scoring the bungalow was a blessing, but a year later my landladies were offering me the space next door, which was an additional 1,000 square feet. I had to really think about it. It would be a huge leap. I didn’t have a lot of money and my husband was in the midst of building his own company. We had a 2 year old, a mortgage and things weren’t exactly flush. After a lot of alone time, talking to my husband and my two OGs Alex Dey and Sharon Futerfas, I decided to sign the lease. It was extremely intimidating, and you always wonder if you made the right decision.

One week after signing the lease, one of my contractors approached me with something cupped in his hands. I jumped back when he approached me because I thought it was a spider. No, “Reina,” he said, “Reina.” I knew this meant “Queen” in English, and when he opened his palms, he placed the most beautiful, golden Queen Bee into my hands. (She had been dead for a while, but her appearance was as if she was still alive.) After demolishing what he thought was a moldy exterior wall, he discovered that it was an abandoned bees nest. He found her inside the nest, all by herself. This was extremely significant to me. It was a message that I had done the right thing.

I built Queen Bee on my own, with the bees in my backyard. They took care of me, and I listened to them – and when you listen, and I mean truly listen, to what the bees are telling you, you should follow their lead. I continue to listen to the bees and expand Queen Bee with the help of my amazing staff. I could not deliver the honey brought to you today without their loyalty and hard work. Bee thankful to bees. I know I am! 🙂