Revitalization of the “Beehive”

By Dennis Jamison
Special to the Times

The Beehive, Health and Nutrition store celebrated its grand opening the same weekend the Westfield Shoppingtown Oakridge offered its eventful grand opening. Although it may have been overshadowed by all the festivities associated with the larger event, owners Kerry and Judy Burnham believe they got off to a good start in October. This may be partly due to the fact that their store was established upon the foundation of the “Beehive Country Store,” owned by Judy’s parents, Francis and Veda LeBaron. The store, located at 5807 Winfield Blvd., just down the street from Golfland, has been at the same location for three decades.

The Burnhams bought the store in April of this year and formally took over on Aug. 1. They transformed the store’s focus on emergency preparedness products and survival gear to one that now boasts the largest selection of low carbohydrate foods in San Jose. The couple shares a passion for nutrition. Their vision is to provide their customers a store that combines a complete selection of healthy and nutritional items with exceptional customer service. It seems like a large task in this day of chain stores that feature a large volume of inexpensive merchandise, but place less emphasis on the quality of customer service. But Judy has experienced it firsthand. Judy and her seven siblings all helped out in their parents’ store as they grew up. Her desire is to recreate the same kind of warm country store atmosphere and personal care in customer service that people grew to expect from her parents’ Beehive Store.

Entering the front door, there is an outer information room available for customers who would like to sit at a table and read one of the books on the shelves lining the wall. There are approximately 200 titles, and when it comes to a subject on health or nutrition, if it is not on the shelf, it can be special ordered.

Intent to become the favorite store for the “low-carb” crowd, the store offers a complete Atkins Diet line of low carbohydrate food items recommended by the late Dr. Robert Atkins. The store features primarily health and nutrition items and offers a wide selection of vitamins and nutritional supplements including their own private label of vitamins. And of course, what would a beehive be without honey. The store offers raw honey (you can buy it by the bucket) as well as several bins of bulk foods and a grocery line of health food items—even milk and eggs in the cooler. They also offer personal care items and cosmetics, as well as a selection of modern appliances like juicers.

However, the Burnhams realize that it is not just a strong product line that can attract and keep customers. Their desire is to help their customers find the personal guidance, information or products that can help them create healthier lifestyles. This is evident in the care they have taken to hire consultants (not clerks) with a wealth of experience to assist customers in as professional a manner as possible without losing the personal connection. Judy particularly remembers a quality of customer service her parents offered that made their customers feel special while shopping at their store. She hopes that their Beehive store can generate the same feeling for their customers.

It has been a substantial investment in time, effort and expense, but Kerry and Judy are upbeat about their first month and hopeful about the future. They have expanded their hours for the convenience of the customer and seem to have succeeded in revitalizing the store. They are even considering hiring another consultant or two. According to Kerry, the colder months bring more people who are struggling to maintain good health during the cold and flu season.

Beehive, Health and Nutrition is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Sunday.
On Sunday they are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The phone number is 225-3531.
Dennis Jamison is an Almaden freelance writer.