Photo courtesy of the Alabama Retail Association.
Bryson Kessler with Clover + Bee’s Gold Award for annual sales from $1 million to $5 million, awarded by the Alabama Retail Association.
Clover + Bee is one of 11 businesses honored as a 2023 Retailer of the Year by the Alabama Retail Association.
Located in Heights Village, Clover + Bee started out 17 years ago as the maternity boutique The Swanky Stork. The store later expanded to include a curated collection of clothing, accessories and gifts for clients in “a new stage of life.”
A rebrand to Clover + Bee followed, with the addition of a custom baby bedding line: Fireflies & Fairytales.
The company won the Gold award in the Annual Sales $1 to 5 million category. This year’s winners were selected from 42 entries submitted from a pool of 55 nominees.
“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 owner Bryson Kessler.
One of the judges commented that Clover + Bee has been “extremely adaptable and evolved with their customers. 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 they prioritize developing and fostering the strengths of each team member and placing them in a role that highlights and utilizes their unique skills.
“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,” Kessler said.
Tracy Thornton, the membership and marketing director of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, wrote in her nomination of Clover + Bee, “we love to highlight them on our social media, because we know that the community wants to see their new items.”
Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown said, “Bryson Kessler is a retailer of the year every year to her customers, her 28 employees and the Vestavia Hills community.”
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.”
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.
Bryson Kessler
Nancy King Dennis, director of public relations for the Alabama Retail Association, said two other businesses in the same shopping center with Clover + Bee were previously
- Gold Alabama Retailers of the Year:
- 2022, Gold $1 Million to $5 Million: Amy Jason, Cookie Fix
- 2008, Gold $1 Million to $5 Million: Katherine McRee and Susan Day, The Lili Pad/GiGi’s
- Other past Vestavia Hills Gold Award winners include:
- 2022, Gold $5 Million to $20 Million: Ashley McMakin, Ashley Mac’s, five Birmingham locations, including Cahaba Heights. Corporate headquarters are in Vestavia Hills.
- 2019, Gold $5 Million to $20 Million: Jamie Pursell, Leaf & Petal, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook and Birmingham
- 2011, Gold Sales Less than $1 Million: Linda Parker, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, Vestavia Hills
- 2008, Gold $5 Million to $20 Million; 2010, Gold Annual Sales More than $5 Million: Mark Whitlock, Mark’s Outdoor Sports, Vestavia Hills
“Vestavia Hills has some great local retailers,” Dennis said.
A complete list of this year's winners for the 2023 Alabama Retailers of the Year can be found at alabamaretail.org/news/2023-retailers-year.
