We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cindy McCartney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cindy below.

Cindy, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

If I had had to predict in 2020 what I would be doing in my career in 2024, creating a honey business would not have been even a twinkle in my eye. However, the experiences on the career path I took through my life–a combination of corporate, retail, and entrepreneurial—combined to create the concept of Grand Central Honey.

A quick snapshot of my experience: I spent most of my working life as a cosmetic and fragrance executive in the corporate world—I lived in different areas of the US and at that time worked for companies such as Calvin Klein, Giorgio Beverly Hills, Elizabeth Arden and Avon, which gave me a fantastic knowledge of retail and wholesale markets and how those businesses worked.

As time went on, I decided that I wanted to dive into my own business venture—so I opened a ladies’ designer consignment boutique named Diva in 2006 in Alexandria, VA. I had always been an avid (aka shopaholic…) shopper, and loved thrifting, as well as consigning my unworn fashion purchases. However, in 2006, consignment and thrifting were not omnipresent or as mainstream as they are today. Most people at that time looked down on “second hand” and their experiences were with thrift stores filled with musty and out of date clothing. There were very few stores at that time which embraced the fact that, as with me, many women bought expensive designer items at retail which they never wore…and their mistakes were others’ gain—who wouldn’t want a new, designer outfit for a fraction of the retail? The concept was a win-win for all involved. I spent Diva’s first year steadily publicizing the virtues of resale to local customers, but it was not until the recession in 2008 that people seemed to wake up to the advantages of the concept. Diva was located in a beautiful 100-year old townhouse in the Old Town section of Alexandria and had a warm, stylish, fashion-forward, upscale aura. Everything clicked. I enjoyed building the concept in the area and growing the store with the demands of our audience.

In 2019 I moved to Naples, FL, to be closer to my mom, who lived in Bonita Springs, because my dad had passed away. The pandemic happened shortly after that and during that time I began to look ahead to my next chapter. I worked as a director at a non- profit, but realized that world was not for me. However, I became friends with one of the board members at the organization who had a strong interest in bees and asked me to help him set up a store with his honey brand. This reignited a fascination I had long had with bees and the world of the hive. I have always thought that the amazing work which bees accomplish as well as their importance in sustaining our daily lives is something so worthy and essential that it deserves to be guarded and defended, and the message broadcast to the world.

As I thought through the possibility of opening a store centered around one unknown brand of honey, I doubted the viability of the idea. One night I woke up at 3 am, grabbed a tablet I keep at my bedside and wrote a business plan about the concept of a boutique centered on artisan honey…but carrying many brands, from local to world, and leading with a few well-known brands. In addition to carrying them, there would be a tasting bar, at which customers could sample any honey in the store. Sure, honey could be purchased in other venues, but nothing can replace the real-world opportunity to taste before buying. In addition to honey, we would carry only items which were bee and honey-related. Gifts, Christmas ornaments, elixirs, spreads, infusions, Mead (honey wine), greeting cards, jewelry, and so much more. There would be a virtual hive on a screen (many mistake it for a live observation hive). Then…a selfie booth (The Bee Booth) with a neon crown and bee wings as a background.

Fun for everyone, and more than a store. Best of all, the concept was so unique—great shopping, but also educational. And so Grand Central Honey was born. The concept of the store: “Everything Bee. Everything Honey. An Experience Like No Other.” The name was taken, of course, from Grand Central Terminal in NYC, which always was such an icon to me. I felt that the essence of the store was similar to Grand Central Terminal in that there is an ever-changing assortment of honeys crossing paths and once gone, they are gone. Our tagline pretty much says it all—the entire store is an experience. It is as interactive as the shopper wants to make it. I love to see our guests come in and how surprised and delighted they are at the elegant yet relatable vibe. We strive to make visitors feel comfortable immediately by telling them where things are to orient them, encouraging them to look at their leisure, and asking them to let us know if there are honeys they’d like to taste. Customer service is our biggest goal.

I am loving what I am doing and love having the advantage that the concept is such a niche I can make it as innovative as possible. I am constantly trying new ideas to add to the experience and our product range, and am constantly excited by new possibilities and alliances and hope Grand Central Honey continues to be embraced by our guests!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I believe that I addressed that in the previous screen.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Thanks to a super-creative social media director we have a very robust Facebook and Instagram presence. Our website is very welcoming and interactive, and I do a monthly newsletter, the Beeline, for our customers who sign up for updates and events.

We have a running list of customer orders and are happy to accommodate special requests if possible.

We like to think that the customer service at Grand Central Honey is second to none, and that keeps customers returning, time and time again.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

When I was opening, I tried a variety of strategies to see what worked in the Naples, FL market. Remember, the store was a first of its kind and getting the message out about what we actually offered to potential clients was the trick, so there was a lot of trial and error.

Social media (Facebook and Instagram) has worked well all along. I have done quite a bit of print advertising, which, especially in the beginning, was essential. That got our name out there.. In addition, we were featured in several tv spots, and that certainly brought recognition. We have also been lucky to have had some great articles written about us in local magazines and newspapers.

Actually, a very strong response has come from putting up giant pink letters on the median saying H O N E Y. We are located in a strip center on a major road at a traffic light, so the sign is seen by all those waiting for a green light!

Probably the best source of new clients is word of mouth. Almost every customer tells us that they are going to spread the word to their friends, and many bring their friends and/or family in. We appreciate that so much, and we’ve established a repeat clientele as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://grandcentralhoney.com
• Instagram: @grandcentralhoney
• Facebook: grandcentralhoney