ic crops but the wildlife became a problem,” says Lisa.
But as sometimes happens in life, Lisa became seriously ill.“ Suddenly we realized we were in an area where I did not have access to the medical care that I was going to need, not even 911 services. It was just too desolate.”
As it turned out, Rich had a solution. He suggested that they search in the Bluefield, West Virginia area. It was still close to the cabin and farm which borders the Jefferson National Forest and real estate prices were good in the area. The icing was that the Graham House had just come on the market.
“ We are the first owners of the house other than the Graham family, explains Lisa. They were an old Bluefield family that had business in the area and when an antique dealer called me and said that they had all the china that had originally belonged to the house and did we want it, I knew it was meant to be.”
The couple’ s inspiration for their business began with Lisa’ s illness.“ I’ m not a doctor but I knew I had to make changes in my life, says Lisa. What I consumed and how I lived. It was really the bees and herbs that became the catalyst. It is how and why we started the apothecary line. We were growing medicinal herbs like yarrow, lavender, spotted dead nettle, rosemary, evening primrose, oregano, bee balm and golden seal. These were the ingredients that ultimately made their way into our products along with the honey. All of the wax and pollen are filtered out before it goes into the products. There is no heat involved in the process and the filtering is accomplished through floatation. All of the herbs are infused in oil, everything is non-GMO and no sprays or chemicals go into our products.”
While Lisa and Rich were developing the apothecary line, Lisa’ s daughter Jessica moved from Charlotte to Bluefield. Her line of
Rich and Lisa Tyte on the steps of their home in Bluefield, West Virginia.
hand crafted items and beautiful home goods became JessiLayne Creations.
Meanwhile the honey business continued to thrive. Rich had found his niche not only as a bee keeper but a mentor as well. He mentors new bee keepers by putting them into their first hives and providing education and training so that they can become proficient with their bees. States Rich,“ I think everyone deserves a jar of honey. We sell out of everything every year.”
Sourwood honey is their best seller and Wildwood honey is available in the spring and fall.“ We are lucky, says Lisa, we have Sourwood trees at the farm. Sourwood honey is consistently voted the best honey in the world. It is buttery and smooth and always a favorite with our customers. We laugh and say that Rich is the worker bee and that I am the queen bee.”
Located off the living room of their home is a delightful space that they use for a shop. It is filled with Jessica’ s ever growing designs, Lisa’ s apothecary products and of course honey from Rich’ s beloved bees. Although they are not open to the public, customers can make an appointment to see what’ s available. The gifts and products are wrapped and packaged beautifully and are ready to gift. Lisa also creates and hosts special classes like inhaler classes and sip and create events.
Typical customers are women. Jessica elaborates,“ Women especially are our customers. Garden clubs or those interested in gardening, church groups, sororities, socials, trade shows, fairs, Christmas shows, fall festivals and of course we book private appointments. Our honey products are basically word of mouth.”
And of course business is also a family affair. The couple’ s children and grandchildren love to visit and can often be found downstairs in the studio where all of the artistic magic happens. Crafting and working with color and different artistic mediums means quality family time and passing down artistic tradition and style.
“ Family is very important and we include them in our life as much as possible, smiles Lisa. They are all exposed to medicinal plants, all of the products we make and the honey bees.”
And where do they see their business going in the coming years.“ We do not have any great plans for seven or eight shops, says Lisa. We would love to see our grandchildren take up the art of gardening and apothecary and to take care of the land naturally and learn how to be bee keepers. All of this is knowledge that no one can take away from them. We want to feed our hobby so it benefits someone else. We want to meet new people. It’ s all about balance and finding yourself with nature.” ❖
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