The Arcade will add honey-and-mead business Savannah Bee to its lineup soon. Savannah Bee was issued a permit earlier this month to move forward with renovations at 9 The Arcade.
The spot at The Arcade is expected to open by the end of spring, said Emily Anderson, the manager for the Nashville location. She is excited to bring the concept to the Middle Tennessee market.
“I’ve been with Savannah Bee for about six years now. I’m behind the company and our mission to teach people about bees and how important they are to our food system, and also just offering a really lovely product that people enjoy,” Anderson said. “I’m also from Nashville, so it’s really exciting for me personally to have my job come to a place I have been super familiar with.”
Savannah Bee, founded in 2002 by Ted Dennard in Savannah, Ga., specializes in honey and honey-based items. It offers items ranging from lip balm to whipped honeys. The company’s flagship store opened in Savannah in 2008.
Savannah Bee locations offer retail items, a honey bar and a mead (honey wine) bar. Customers will be able to sample mead in flights or glasses, according to reporting by the Nashville Post. There will also be honey tasting opportunities.
This will be the 16th location for the company and the fourth in Tennessee. Current locations include four in Georgia, two in Florida, four in South Carolina, three in Tennessee and locations in Boulder, Co. and Sedona, Ariz.
“At Savannah Bee Company, honeybees are our passion and our retail locations bring that passion to life. Our stores are interactive destinations where you can enjoy guided honey tastings of our single source and wildflower varietals and sample our hive-powered, skin-nourishing body care products,” the website states. “Our staff is as fun as they are knowledgeable (and that’s a lot of fun) and they are ready to guide you through the Savannah Bee Experience while you shop for unique gifts from the hive.”
Savannah Bee aims not only to bring high-quality honey to customers but also to preserve bees and champion sustainability. Through The Bee Cause Project, Savannah Bee provides students with educational opportunities to connect with the natural world.
“Usually when we have a retail location, we can extend it to the community with our nonprofit, and that involves putting observation hives in schools across the country. That would be a really great experience for kids here in Tennessee,” Anderson said.
