🐝 Small Businesses, Big Hearts: Our Local Favorites

In an effort to support other family-owned and small businesses, we’re creating a list of businesses that share our values and deserve a little extra love. Take a look, shop small, and get to know the wonderful people behind these businesses! ❤️

 

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🐝 Meet Steve T’s Honey Bees: Local Honey, Right Here in Brimfield

One of the things I love most about being a small business owner is having the opportunity to connect with and support other small businesses in our local community. Whenever possible, I believe in knowing where the ingredients I use come from and supporting the people who work hard to produce them.

That’s what makes Steve T’s Honey Bees such a special local business to highlight.

Steve began beekeeping in 2016 as a hobby, and over the years, his passion for beekeeping continued to grow. What started as a hobby eventually grew into a wonderful local beekeeping business, with his bees producing beautiful, locally harvested honey right here in Brimfield, Massachusetts. 🐝🍯

There is so much more that goes into producing local honey than simply putting a jar under a hive. Beekeeping requires time, patience, dedication, and plenty of care for the bees themselves. Supporting a local beekeeper means supporting the work that goes into caring for these incredible little pollinators and keeping local beekeeping alive in our community.

I’m especially excited to support Steve because his honey isn't coming from somewhere across the country or from an anonymous supplier—it comes from right here in our own community.

And that local connection is something I truly value.

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🍯 From His Hives to My Handmade Products

So, what does Steve T’s Honey Bees have to do with my small business?

Quite a lot! ❤️

I’m so happy to be able to incorporate Steve’s local raw honey into several of my handmade creations, including my Whipped Honey Tallow Balms, Honey Lip Balms, Whipped Honey Sugar Scrubs, and other honey-infused products.

For me, using his honey is about more than adding another ingredient to a recipe. It’s about creating a connection between one local small business and another.

His bees do their part. 🐝
Steve does his part. 🍯
And I get to take that beautiful local ingredient and turn it into something handmade in my own small business. 🌿

🐝 Why Local Honey Matters to Me

Whenever I can source an ingredient locally, I love knowing the story behind it.

I know that the honey I’m using comes from Steve T’s Honey Bees here in Brimfield, and I know that purchasing it helps support another local, family-owned/small business.

That means when you purchase one of my products made with Steve’s honey, you're not only supporting my small business—you’re also helping me support his.

And I think that's one of the beautiful things about small businesses supporting one another.

Local bees → local honey → handmade products → local customers. 🐝🍯❤️

It creates a little circle of community, and I’m proud to be part of it.

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❤️ Supporting Small Businesses, Together

I’m incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to work with ingredients produced by another small business right here in our community.

I wanted to take a moment to shine the spotlight on Steve T’s Honey Bees and the care, time, and dedication that goes into producing the local honey I’m so happy to incorporate into my handmade products.

When we support small businesses, we’re supporting real people, real families, hard work, and dreams.

That’s something worth celebrating. ❤️

Thank you, Steve, for keeping those bees busy and for providing such a wonderful local ingredient for us to enjoy and create with! 🐝🍯🌻

Please consider showing Steve T’s Honey Bees some love and supporting a local beekeeper right here in Brimfield! ❤️🐝🍯

https://www.stevetshoneybees.com

 

 

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💎 Meet The Painted Stone Emporium: A Little Bit of Everything, All in One Place

I’m so excited to introduce you to another wonderful local small business that I’m proud to be connected with—The Painted Stone Emporium! ❤️

Located right on Main Street in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, The Painted Stone Emporium is an eclectic gift shop filled with an amazing variety of unique treasures. From beautiful crystals and semi-precious stones to locally made gifts and artwork, plants, jewelry-making supplies, and so much more, there is always something interesting to discover. 🌿💎✨

Visit The Painted Stone Emporium

What I especially love about this shop is the way it brings together local makers, unique finds, and things you may not come across in your everyday shopping. It’s the kind of place where you can walk in looking for one thing and leave having discovered several new favorites!

And I’m incredibly excited to be one of those local small businesses represented inside the shop! ❤️

🛍️ You Can Shop My Products Locally!

I have my very own spot inside The Painted Stone Emporium, where I showcase a selection of some of my favorite handmade products.

That means you can now shop some of my products in person, right here in Sturbridge, MA, without having to wait for an online order to arrive!

Whether you’re looking for something special for yourself, a unique gift, or simply want to stop in and browse some wonderful locally made products, be sure to check out my little space while you’re there. 🥰

I’m so grateful to The Painted Stone Emporium for giving my small business a place within their shop and for helping create a space where local makers and small businesses can be discovered and supported.

💚 Small Business Supporting Small Business

This is exactly what I mean when I say “Small Businesses, Big Hearts.”

When small businesses make room for one another, we get to introduce our customers to more local makers, artists, creators, and entrepreneurs—and that creates an even stronger local community.

So the next time you’re in Sturbridge, stop by The Painted Stone Emporium, explore all the beautiful things they have to offer, and come find my little spot inside! 💎🌿🛍️

Shop local. Support small. Discover something special. ❤️

The Painted Stone Emporium is located at 453 Main St., Sturbridge, MA. (paintedstoneemporium.com)

 

 

 

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💚 Meet Lavallee Lawn Care: Hard Work, Dedication & Pride in Every Property

This one is especially close to my heart because Lavallee Lawn Care is my son’s business. ❤️

As a mom, there’s something incredibly special about watching your child work hard to build something of their own. I’ve had the opportunity to see firsthand the time, effort, and dedication he puts into his work, and I couldn’t be more proud of the business he’s building.

🌱 Quality Work You Can See

Lavallee Lawn Care is all about taking pride in the details. Their goal is simple: to provide dependable property maintenance while making every property look its absolute best.

From clean, crisp mowing stripes and sharp edges to spotless cleanups and dependable year-round property maintenance, the focus is on doing the job right—not simply getting the job done.

It’s the kind of work where the little details make a big difference. 🌿

Quality work. Attention to detail. Dependable service. Results that make your property stand out.

That’s what Lavallee Lawn Care strives to deliver with every property they care for.

💚 A Mom’s Proud Moment

I’m proud of him not only because he’s my son, but because I see how hard he works to grow his business and create something for himself.

Starting and running a small business takes dedication, consistency, responsibility, and a willingness to put in the work, and I’m proud to watch him do exactly that.

There’s something pretty amazing about watching your child turn hard work into a business of their own. 🥰

So, as part of my Small Businesses, Big Hearts page, I wanted to give Lavallee Lawn Care a special shout-out and encourage you to support his small business.

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🐻 Meet BearTrax: Military Surplus & More!

I’m excited to highlight another small business that offers something a little different! BearTrax specializes in military surplus and more, making it a great place to explore if you enjoy unique, hard-to-find, practical, and vintage-inspired items.

I love including businesses like this on our Small Businesses, Big Hearts page because small businesses often carry products and treasures you simply won’t find at the big-box stores. There’s something special about discovering a business with its own unique selection and story behind it.

If military surplus and unique finds are your thing, be sure to check them out and see what they have to offer! 🐻❤️

Military Surplus & More!

Located in Dalton, GA USA

https://www.bear-trax.com

 

 

 

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🏺 Meet This Local Potter: Handcrafted Stoneware with Heart

I’m excited to highlight another wonderful small business right here in our local community! ❤️

This talented maker creates handcrafted stoneware pottery, with each piece made by hand and carrying its own unique character.

There’s something especially meaningful about handmade pottery. Every piece reflects the time, creativity, and craftsmanship of the person who made it. Unlike mass-produced items, handcrafted pottery has those little details that make each piece feel truly one-of-a-kind. 🏺✨

I love supporting artisans like this who keep traditional craftsmanship and handmade creativity alive while creating beautiful pieces for everyday life.

If you’re someone who appreciates handmade, locally crafted goods, be sure to keep this small business in mind and show a local maker some love! ❤️

Handmade. Local. One of a kind. 🏺🌿

Handcrafted stoneware pottery

Located in Fiskdale, Massachusetts

https://www.twiddletspottery.com