The Beehive is a second-hand clothing boutique run by Ashford Vineyard, with the simple aim of making women feel beautiful; valued and that they matter. At the beginning of 2020, we chatted to Becca, Beehive Manager, to find out about the Beehive story. You can catch up with that article here. Recently, Becca shared with us their plans as they reopen after the pandemic!
“The Beehive has finally reopened in Ashford, after exactly 11months to the day of being closed during the pandemic. Like so many business owners, this past year has provided many challenges for The Beehive. But, for us, the one thing that has been constant and immovable has been the incredible grace and perfect timing of God.
As a team, we have been overwhelmed by how often he has gone before us and known the things to put in place to keep us afloat. Whether that has been the physical and practical provision of finances and buildings; the manpower from unexpected places to action those practical changes, or the quiet whispers of dreams and visions for the future – both personally for the leaders in our team.
Re-opening our business has had its hiccups and a few false starts. We have worked hard under tricky circumstances, we have pushed ourselves to the limit and there have been many tears along the way, but we have found joy and comfort in a promise that was made over our shop. God spoke clearly to us and declared that “Lives will be Changed in this Place”, and so when we re-opened our doors on 12th April 2021, we did so in the full knowledge that we were opening doors to change in the town, and opening doors to individual lives that, once they take a step into The Beehive, will never be the same again.
We are now in a new, bigger and better location, with endless possibilities – which is very exciting. Our café is fully functioning for take-aways, utilising and partnering with a local coffee roastery and local baker. Our shop is up and running for both paying customers and clients and stocked full of beautiful second-hand women’s clothing. We cannot wait until we are able to have people sit inside our shop to enjoy our café and deepen community over a slice of cake.
But for now, we’re going with the flow of the COVID rules and timelines, and taking it step-by-step whilst we work behind the scenes to reopen a multitude of life skills workshops as soon as possible too. We are thankful to be, not only a thriving business and social enterprise in the town, but a safe place where anyone and everyone can come and find the support, love, and acceptance that they so desperately need – especially as we all navigate the uncertainty of this current season.
