Hive & Honeybee Goes to Washington for Small Retailers

The owners of Hive & Honeybee, based in Crozet, Virginia were invited to speak to members of Congress about the challenges small businesses currently face and how legislators can provide more support.

Timothy A Shirey speaks to a Panel of Congressman on the challenges facing small retailers

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This was an incredible experience to be able to discuss with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and represent small retailers and their challenges. Great engagement and an excellent representation with a wide ranging group of small businesses. It is encouraging to see Congress getting in touch with Main Street America to support positive change that drives economic growth and development for small businesses across the nation. It was an honor to be invited to Washington D.C. by the National Retail Federation as a representative for Small Retailers around the country and what the biggest challenges are that we are facing in the industry.

Before the panel was started, Hive & Honeybee got to speak to legislators about our small specialty retail business and how we got started. This event was put together by the Republican Leader of the House Committee on Small Business to show case small businesses owned by military veterans.

There are many issues that are impacting small retailers around the country and I was able to highlight the impact of increasing shipping cost, recently announced extended USPS delivery lead times, and higher cost for supplies for our line of exclusive products. As I shared these concerns, the legislators were very engaged and wanted to really understand how these impacts are being handled and what small businesses are having do in response to these increasing pressures.

Thank you for the invitation from US Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) to be a part of the small business committee roundtable. A thank you to all of the other Small Business Committee Members in attendance today.

Rep. Steve Scalise (LA-01)

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CA-23)

Rep. Roger Williams (TX-25)

Rep. Jim Hagedorn (MN-01)

Rep. Pete Stauber (MN-08)

Rep. Dan Meuser (PA-09)

Rep. Claudia T. (NY-22)

Rep. Andrew Garbarino (NY-02)

Rep. Young Kim (CA-39)

Rep. Beth Van Duyne (TX-24)

Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19)

Rep. Maria Salazar (FL-27)

Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05)

We would also like to extend a special thank you for the all the hard work and excellent communication and coordination that came from Hailey Hart Borden, the Director of Coalitions and Member Services for making this event possible.

Thank you for the support from the National Retail Federation and Meghan Keivel Cruz that enabled us to share challenges that small retailers are currently having with the US Congressional Committee on Small Business on Capital Hill today.

We will continue to advocate for positive change in our community, in the Commonwealth of Virginia and at Capitol Hill for small retail businesses and for policies that bolster Main Street. Small Businesses are the foundation of the US Economy and what create that small town charm in some many places across this nation. With your continued support, we can change the world.