Vestavia Hill’s Clover + Bee earns Gold Retailer of the Year title

VESTAVIA HILLS –  “It is an honor to receive this recognition and a privilege to be one of the many small businesses in Alabama faithfully serving our communities,” said Bryson Kessler, owner of Clover + Bee, Alabama’s Gold Retailer of the Year in the Annual Sales $1 Million to $5 Million category. Clover + Bee is one of 11 businesses honored as the 2023 Retailers of the Year by the Alabama Retail Association.

Located at 3150 Heights Village, Clover + Bee started out 17 years ago as The Swanky Stork, a maternity boutique, and later expanded to include a “beyond the bump” clothing section to serve its clients in “a new season of life.” A rebrand to Cradle + Bee followed with the addition of a custom baby bedding line, Fireflies & Fairytales, which they designed, manufactured and produced. In 2021, Kessler said, “We phased out maternity clothing, sold our bedding line, and rebranded a final time to Clover + Bee, focusing 100% of our strategies on serving a growing customer base” for its curated collection of clothing, accessories and gifts.

Clover + Bee has been “extremely adaptable and evolved with their customers,” noted one of the Retailer of the Year judges. “They are using a lot of tools to build their team and their customer base, and those efforts have resulted in increased sales.”

Kessler said, “We prioritize developing and fostering the strengths of each team member and are strategic about placing them in a role that highlights and utilizes their unique skills.” As part of her commitment to customer service, she hired 12 high schoolers to rotate through the store on Saturdays to greet customers and assist with fitting rooms. “This strategy has proven to be very successful, not only with increased sales, but also to ensure we provide excellent service to each customer who walks through our door.”

Clover + Bee’s marketing includes several special events, including designated discounts for teachers at the start of the school year. In May, the attention turns to moms. “We run our ‘Moms We Admire’ campaign and feature a new ‘mom we admire’ each Monday.”

“The colors and the happiness of this store is amazing,” Tracy Thornton, membership and marketing director of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, wrote in her nomination of Kessler. “We love to highlight them on our social media, because we know that the community wants to see their new items.”

Late last year, Kessler launched a podcast called Honey For Your Heart to share lessons she learned from her customers. “My desire for C+B has always been so much bigger than just a retail store,” Kessler said. “I want this to be a store that truly changes lives and ministers to others. That has always been my ‘why’ behind owning this store. We started the Fireflies & Fairytales Foundation years ago that supports children who have lost a parent to cancer (I am that child), and in 2022, we launched Honey For Your Heart.”

Kessler is actively involved in her local retail community, creating summer internship programs and serving with the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association. “We also have an event coming this fall at C+B where we have partnered with several other well-known local small business owners and will be offering an entrepreneur workshop for anyone interested in starting their own small business.”

The Alabama Retailer of the Year awards, started in 1999, honor retailers who have demonstrated growth, innovation and a commitment to their respective communities. This year’s winners were selected from 42 entries submitted from a pool of 55 nominees.

“Bryson Kessler is a retailer of the year EVERY year to her customers, her 28 employees and the Vestavia Hills community,” said Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown.

Other 2023 Retailers of the Year
Previous Retailers of the Year

The Alabama Retail Association represents retailers, the largest private employer in the state of Alabama, before the Alabama Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Through sales of food, clothing, furniture, medicine and more, our 4,300 independent merchant and national company members touch almost every aspect of daily living. Since 1943, we’ve worked to promote what’s best for the retail industry in Alabama. Whether voicing the retail view when public policy is made, educating members about issues that impact them, negotiating rates for benefits and services or communicating the retail story, the Alabama Retail Association and its members are better together.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Bryson Kessler, Clover + Bee | 205.972.1414
Nancy King Dennis, Alabama Retail Association | 334.868.2195 | 800.239.5423

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