When her store closed in Kalamazoo last March, owner Jess Thompson said she was convinced it was the end of the road for Bee Joyful, and its mission to promote zero-waste and eco-friendly alternatives to common household items.
But then, as Thompson says, "life just started lifing."
Thompson explained that she moved in with her partner James, who lives in South Bend, Indiana, and began looking into new employment.
"I was going to go work in event management and had quite a few different prospects," Thompson said.
"My partner was like, 'You know what? That just doesn't seem like the right move. What do you think about if if we open up Bee Joyful but kind of reimagine it a little bit?'"
So, they began looking for a space, eventually finding one in downtown Mishawaka, about an hour and a half south of the previous location.
Month's later, Thompson says Bee Joyful, now Bee Joyful Apothecary, is planning to reopen at the end of July, with an exact date planned to be announced next week.
She said the news was received well when announced on social media, with even former customers reaching out to show their support.
“The amount of people that have messaged or texted or called or DM'd, all of the things, from Kalamazoo or from even Grand Rapids, ‘Oh, will be driving there. We come to South Bend. We'll be down there.’"
However, the store won't be exactly the same as it once was, according to Thompson.
"We really started to imagine this as more of a 1950s vibe, that color scheme."
In addition to this change, she said Bee Joyful will also have "upcycled" items for sale.
"My partner James, he does a lot of upcycled furniture pieces and taking wood that's been discarded and turning it into beautiful pieces," Thompson said.
"Chess boards or chopping blocks, charcuterie things, all of that type of stuff. "
But many things will remain the same, with the store still offering handmade, plastic free products like soap, cosmetics and cloth wraps.
Additionally, refills for some household products will also return, but Thompson said the offerings will be scaled back from the refills they offered in Kalamazoo.
Instead, she said Bee Joyful will focus on the most popular refills, including shampoo, detergent, and hand soap.
Thompson said they will also offer classes where customers can learn how to make many of the items on sale.
"We'll start off with one a month, but the goal is to get two classes a month."
With the store's reopening close at hand, Thompson said she's ready to continue promoting sustainability and plastic-free alternatives to everyday items.
"It feels magical. It feels just exhilarating," Thompson said.
"Every time I walk in there I just take a breath because I'm so excited. I'm so excited to see this mission continue."
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
