Shoppe Updates!

Pictured above: Navy Rose fabric bow, Chiffon blossom ring, Marigold fancy felt bow, Organic veggie hair clips, Sweet Mint chiffon blossom bobby pin set, ViviDot  for Honeybean Polaroid Necklace, Vintage owl brooch, Vintage kitty earrings, Lace bow shoe clip set, Candy Apple shoe clip set, Scrabble ring (assorted letters).

Mike and I have been busy bees trying to update the shoppes (here + here) so far this week. That's why you're getting countless outfit posts! I really haven't had time to do much else but I thought I'd share with y'all some goodies we've put up in the shoppes lately! Domestic orders received by Friday at 3pm are guaranteed before Christmas. We also offer priority and express shipping if you request it via message prior to checkout! Lots of fun bits to stuff stockings with and sweet things to put under the tree. Or if you don't celebrate Christmas, maybe just a gift for your favorite person (or yourself! I won't tell!)

We loaded the shoppes up with shoe clips, hair pins, bows galore, jewelry (vintage and handmade!), and there's still loads more to come. We'll be shooting, editing and listing for the better part of today, but I'll be back to share an outfit post shortly! We're happy to share our latest collaboration with ViviDot: Honeybean Polaroid necklaces! They're limited quantity so get yours if you want one! (How cute would it be to wear a mini 'bean around your neck?! Maybe I'm biased!). My PR + Marketing Ebook is still available in the shoppe, too!

To everyone who has purchased from Hive + Honey or Honeybean, we sincerely thank you! You're helping put our dream into motion so we're eternally grateful! xo

PS: We also offer to giftwrap your items if they're for someone special! Just let us know in the notes when you checkout! 

Happy Honeybean Day!

Today is the day! We're opening up for our soft launch weekend! I know I've been non-stop talking about Honeybean the past few weeks but I'm sure you can imagine how full our hearts feel! Yesterday was a full day with getting tattooed and heading straight to the fairgrounds to set up. Turns out our booth was a whole lot smaller than we were anticipating (and told), but we decided to work with it and make it happen anyway! We'll know next time to reserve two booths instead! We don't know how successful the weekend will but we're happy to get the ball rolling! Brian and Christina were working serious overtime helping us set up. Thank god for amazing friends!

Last night Vanessa from Wanderlust stopped by for some chit chat and she's just the sweetest ever! If you're from Portland (or visit) then you should check out her little mobile venture! They just celebrated their first year and I hope we're in their spot next year! Yay!

We're opening bright and early at 8am and we'll be at the fairgrounds until 5! Saturday Mike is opening the shoppe at 7am and I'll trickle in between 9 and 10, same for Sunday! If you're in the area please come stop by! Lot 4 (parking lot), booth 98! Look for the silly little 'bean!

Here are a few photos of us setting up yesterday. We promise to take lots of pictures this weekend!

Mike building our sign!

Stocking the shoppe with handmade pretties!

Squeezing her in...

Handmade bird feeders!

And here's one of me getting my shin tattooed yesterday for good measure! I think I really psyched myself out for it and it was such a breeze. No pain whatsoever! But honestly it was all in Laura's machine! She was using her beau's instead and it is calibrated so beautifully! I hope the other leg (Friday!) is as easy to sit through! 

Happy Friday, friends!

What are your plans for the weekend?!

Say Hello to Honeybean!

Today is the day, friends! We're so excited to finally unveil what all of our hard work and our dreams! We took the 'bean out for a spin today. It was the first time loading her up and towing her around by our lonesome. We ended up at Percy Warner Park in Belle Meade where we shot a few photos of her. Below I'll share those photos along with the before and afters! We don't have any current interior shots with her all stocked up (except the iPhone 4 ones I'll include) but we ripped out the garment rack she came with and built our own with industrial pipe and flanges. It now holds about 15x the weight and she's as sturdy as ever! (Sadly today we were on the interstate and a tractor trailer blew a tire and it hit Honeybean. We didn't think it did but we got home to find a hefty dent. Luckily it's nothing we can't probably fix ourselves and it doesn't have any effect on the tow or the inside!) We love her so!

Meet our 1968 Yellowstone camper... Bernadette!

To familiarize yourself with the transformation, here is what she started off looking like! And peep some in-progress shots and the final bits! Isn't she marvelous?!

(we got a new air conditioner too!)

(everything in the above two photos was thrifted by Sherry, the lovely woman who did the restorations! She had it stocked for me when we picked it up! Isn't that sweet?! Restorations were done by Fine Designs Camper Sales in Kentucky!)

(I think we're going to recover the cushions to a slightly more neutral color. Not sure what yet!)

We love Bernadette so so very much! Our hearts have never felt so full! We've been hard at work stocking her inside and out and we can't wait to find the perfect location to have the Grand Opening party! Thank you all SO much for being part of our dream! We couldn't do it without you!

To celebrate, we're offering 35% OFF OUR ENTIRE HIVE + HONEY LINE! Just use the code HONEYBEAN and you'll be good to go! Feel free to visit Hive + Honey to stock up on pretty handmade things! H+H will be stocked in Honeybean along with tons of other awesome things!

If you're awaiting a response from me about being a Honeybean designer, please hold tight! Hoping to filter through several of the 125+ emails in my inbox! You are all SO talented! I wish we could stock all of you!

What do you think!? Do you love her as much as we do?!

Want to be part of the 'Bean?!

I'm excited to announce that we will be taking on a select number of indie designers via consignment and wholesale! I didn't intend on getting others involved so soon but the truth lies in the fact that I can't do it all myself if I want to get it rollin' super soon! That's where you come in! 

Are you a crafty maven with an Etsy shop or Big Cartel full your handmade goodness? The 'bean is looking to stock lots of awesome items from other indie designers and entrepreneurs! 

If you'd like to be considered as a Honeybean designer and you want to talk shop, shoot me an email at honeybeanboutique@gmail.com and be sure to include a little bit about yourself, your items and a link to your shop (or some photographic examples of your work!). I hope to hear from you soon! xo

PS; If you design jewelry or other awesome accessories/wearables, we'd really love to hear from you!

Honeybean Mobile Boutique

Yesterday I saw the painted 'bean for the first time! My heart is so incredibly full. I audibly gasped and fumbled for my phone as quickly as possible to text Susannah and Mike the pictures. I cannot even begin to tell how you how real it's starting to feel! Mike worked until after 11 last night so I poked around the house cutting out fabric to make a pennant banner for her. Might as well bring her home in style, right?! A few things will be left to us when she gets in our possession this weekend so I'm scouring the internet for all sorts of odds and ends to add to her. I can't wait to have her in our driveway so I can spend too much time playing with displays and set ups! We're going to be adding a vinyl decal on the back that says "Honeybean mobile boutique" so we're also on the hunt for a reliable sign dealer here in the Nashville area. She's almost home! I can't wait to show y'all pictures!

Until then, I'm going to share some of the branding and "behind the scenes" type stuff! Up first, the logo! Followed by 6 sets of business cards that I've designed. I ordered 3 of the designs last night from Moo and VistaPrint so we'll see how the quality is or if I opt to have them printed locally/elsewhere! 

I hope you don't mind me sharing details like this. Many of you said in a recent post that you loved hearing about the business-y stuff and I know I love sharing it because I'm going to read back on these days in total awe of everything coming together! Design has always been a huge passion of mine but being able to design for my own dream job is just that much more magical! (Say that five times fast!) Thanks for being a part of this journey. I know I say it every single day but you are truly rockstars! I cherish every email, tweet and comment ♥

PS; Like my little drawing of the 'bean that I did last night? It'll replace the one up in the sidebar now since we went for a Yellowstone instead of a Shasta! I love Shastas but I couldn't be happier with our decision!

Honeybean Sneak Peek!

Oh my stars! I moved today's Wedding Wednesday post back a few hours so I could share this teensy weensy tiny lil sneak peek with you all! Last night I was phone with the family who is doing the renovations on our camper and she told me she took a few pictures of it. I was so nervous! I had this vision in my head of exactly what I wanted and I was so afraid it wouldn't be spot on and I'd be heartbroken. Well honeybees... I'm elated! Several parts are different from what we first imagined, but it's coming together so very well!

Thursday and Friday she's getting her exterior paint job as well as a new roof sealant... and then hopefully Saturday we'll pick her up (if time allows!). If not, we're loading up the car Sunday no matter what and we're bringing our baby home! (Okay, I say no matter what but we'll see!) I cannot tell you how excited we are! Our hard work and passion is finally paying off! AHHHH!

I'm only giving you a small little snippet of the inside! This is the "dining" area and side shelves. A table will go in between the two dinette benches and it'll have big plush cushions on it, too! 

Look at that floor! a;lkdfja;sldj! I can't even! We didn't think the floor was going to happen but it was like a crazy miracle and she called us as we were meeting with some flooring people in town! It couldn't be more divine! 

Can you believe it?! It's actually happening! Thank you SO much for being part of this adventure with me!

On The Road...

Everyone has been so encouraging of the mobile business we're working so diligently on and while it's far from an original endeavor already, we're just as thrilled to be stepping in the right direction of our dreams. This post is scheduled to go up Friday morning while we are on a mini-roadtrip! Mike and I have been given the opportunity to look at several different campers today so we're hopping in the car, driving a few hours north and poking around for a bit! Woohoo! We originally had one picked out and were going to go ahead with renovations, but a few more presented themselves (through the same family) so we want to make sure to pick the *one* and chart out the interior with them in person. I thought I'd share some of the cutest mobile businesses around since y'all linked to me to sooo many! I'll be the first to say that each and every one of them has inspired us in some way. Mostly just to get our business up and going, but I'll explain that more in each paragraph!

Up first is Punky of Haberdash Vintage!

Haberdash Vintage: Punky (Amy) was among the first (or the first, I think!) to have a mobile vintage shop and since I remember being friends with her back in the MySpace/StyleMob days, I was eagerly following along. Something about it just seemed so surreal and fun, but totally unreachable for me. I loved following her blog and seeing her get involved with Swap while doing her clothing swaps, etc. Her blog isn't just an inspiration for her business, but also just her totally (what seems to be) a jam-packed schedule full of events. Her shiny lil 'dash is very different from everyone else's pastel paint jobs and I just love that! I love how she utilized the inside of her door as a chalkboard and I love the grated mesh type stuff that she hangs her shoe heels on! The Haberdash is the original folks! Take a good look at this sweet lil' beauty! (She inspired us to pick up an astroturf rug to go our front! I can't wait to get it all set up!)

Wanderlust Mobile Shop: This is the one I just can't get enough of! Oh my stars! I have Vanessa and Dan's blog pulled up in a permanent tab on my computer. I just can't help it. I think it's the combined fact that 1.) They are SO adorable, 2.) They make me hopeful for what me and Mike might be like and 3.) Vanessa has been such a doll emailing back and forth with me giving me helpful tips to make the shop a success! The pastel mint and yellow, her pretty pretty hair and dresses, and the just "homey" feel of their little Cardinal makes me swoon! I wish I could travel to Portland right now and just hang out with them! They are the cutest ever! I die. Like, I want to be BFF with them SO.BAD. (And we're totally taking a cue from their little outdoor sign! How sweet is that?!)

Mimsy's Trailer Trash Tattoo: While this is not a mobile retail shop, it is a mobile tattoo shop! How fun! I love the styling of the outside and I am head over heels in love with her tattooing style. A few people linked me to her in the comments of my original post and I remembered having seen some pictures on Tumblr a while back. It wasn't until then that I took the time to investigate but I'm so glad I did! I feel like it's such an awesome business plan! Just wish it wasn't so far away! The look of her caravan is probably my absolute favorite!

Trish Hunter Finds: Another long throw from Nashville is Trish Hunter Finds from Australia! I can honestly say that the clean and sleek modern interior, without a doubt, has inspired me for our shop. She and her dad renovated the interior together! I am in love with the custom built-ins that they installs and how bright everything is! Shopping in there would be such a treat! (She totally inspired me to try and find a cute little mini picket fence! I don't know if we will or not, but how cute would that be?!)

 

Oh So Lovely Vintage: I'm not sure how I didn't know about them sooner considering how small the internet makes the world but holy moly cute! About 45 of y'all linked me this way in the original post and I about keeled over and died. The fact that I want peach (small) scallops in the paint job on our camper kind of terrified me once I opened their page (because we all know someone just wants to shout "You're a copycat!" to any/everyone at any chance they get), but honestly I don't think I could ever pull off a shop so darling! I had a mini freak out and wanted to scrap the whole idea but decided to just roll with the cute! The girls are the cutest (I love that it's a BFF team, since the 'bean part of honeybean is in reference to a certain special someone [wink wink] and that kind of partnership is so inspiring) and the interior is insane! They seem to have the best hand-picked collection that I've seen so far and just skimming through their blog has been a delight. (I think) they are a kind-of-still up-and-coming mobile shop so to see how freakin' adorable they are already totally inspires me to push forward (and to utilize space any and everywhere... like the pegboard door! Holy smart!) 

Hill Vintage: More absolute cuteness! Erica of Hill Vintage left a comment linking me over to their Facebook page and offered up loads of advice via email if I wanted and I think anyone willing to share their tried-and-true business successes (and failures) with a total rookie like myself is AMAZING! I haven't taken her up on her offer just yet (Erica - I totally have the email half written! But I know I'll have a million questions after this trip today! Eeeep!) but I always find myself flipping through their Facebook pictures. I love love love the kind of "found" feeling of their business cards with stickers on them. I've always thought approaches like that were super freakin' cool and the fact that it totally goes with their recycled clothing is such a great business idea! (And the melted record bowls?! SWOOON-CITY Y'ALL!) Their little trailer warming party has totally inspired me to maybe try and plan one of our own before too long!

These are just a few of the ones y'all linked me to in my original post and the ones I've found the most inspiration from. I'll never try to take credit for the idea because obviously it has been a long-standing one, but I can't wait to use our original design + the inspirations of all these fantastic businesses to build the perfect little 'bean. Gotta give credit where credit is due, y'all, and these are the cream of the crop!

Do you know of any other amazing mobile businesses that deserve some time in the spotlight?! Feel free to leave a comment below or shoot me an email!

Hopefully we'll come home today with some good news! xo

Honeybean Mobile Boutique

Today is the day, friends! Honeybean Mobile Boutique has been born! Mike went with me this morning to get my new snazzy business license and to open a business bank account! Pending my small business loan, we will be good to go! Loan approved! We're getting there! I'm making calls today to find the perfect Shasta baby for our little boomin' biz! I'm on a roll and I have no intention on slowing down anytime soon. It's definitely an exciting time for us!

If you've emailed me in the past week and have yet to receive a response, stick with me! I promise to get to you soon. It was a crazy crazy chaotic weekend of product photography, party planning, friend enjoyin', and working. I'm hoping to get back on my feet this week! I also have a lot of design work to do so emails tend to get put on the backburner! If you have something that is quick and you need an immediate response, tweet me @kaelahbee!

I can't wait to share with you the rest of this journey! It's going to be so much fun! xo

ETA: WE GOT A 1960's SHASTA!!!! They're starting work on it tomorrow! We custom built the entire inside and my heart could not possibly be more full! Everything is falling into place!

The Next Step...

I recently shared with you all my trials and tribulations with my current job. While the hours are minimal, the grief and headache are plentiful. I'm just not happy. I plan on staying there as long as I need to, however, because I know jobs are hard to come by. A few weeks ago I started daydreaming about the idea of taking my shoppe mobile before trying to plant myself in a brick and mortar shop. My career goal has been to have my own independent retail shop since I was in 11th grade. I took a detour from the course for a short time to fulfill my NYC magazine dream (I did it... twice!). Now I'm back on course and more determined than ever.

If you guessed the camper doodle was the secret yesterday, you were right!

What got me thinking about this was my lovely blogger pal, Amy (Punky) and her Haberdash. (Fun fact: Would you believe that she was the first person to ever blog about my outfits? Truth. Four years ago today! We were friends on MySpace and StyleMob! So long ago!) I've also taken Indie Biz 3.0 and was inspired by Jill of Lune and her first mobile branch! I know mobile vintage shops and the like are really trendy right now, but this will allow me the freedom of movement... to change location and destination. We had every intention of staying in Nashville permanently after finding our little home sweet home at the end of March. We nixed Wilmington because of all the competition. Well honeybees, it seems new little boutiques are sprouting up everywhere these days and unfortunately the supply currently outweighs the demand. I think competition is a vital necessity to a flourishing business, without a doubt. But when you enter a crowded market with the same inventory, you're bound to be let down. With that being said, a mobile shoppe will allow us to travel to new destinations, meet new people, spark interest and network. And once we find that sweet little home for our brick and mortar, the little shoppe will always be part of it. The mobile branch will also allow me the ability to buy wholesale from other small, indie designers and offer their wares around and about! This will give me buying experience when it comes time for the big deal!

The exciting thing: We've already found a little family biz that will do all of the renovating for us! We had thought long and hard about whether we wanted to do it or not, but with our lack of handyman ability, limited schedules, and all around absentmindedness, we thought it best left to professionals. We looked at 4 or 5 campers today, but we're waiting until we find "the one"... and I know she's out there!

We have our heart set on a 1960's Shasta camper. Something about the little wings on the side gets me everytime. We have paint colors and a custom paint job already picked out (Pale peach and white, with small scalloped lace-like edges!) The tough part will be parting with everything on the inside. We haven't fully narrowed down exactly how we want the interior. Both of us want to keep some of the features but know that it will be hard if we plan on having a lot of the inventory on the inside. We'll figure it out though!

With all of that being said, from here on out, 100% of the earnings from Hive + Honey, Kaelah's Closet, and 50% of the earnings from Little Chief Honeybee will go toward our little mobile dream shoppe! I can't wait to make this a reality and to share with you all of the branding we've been concocting! It's going to be so much fun! xo

PS; My bike is going to match the trailer! How cute is that?!

PPS; Are there any other mobile retail shops you just love and would like to share? I'd like to pick the brains of so many of the fabulous ladies! I only know of Jill and Amy in the retail world! xo