The Freckled Bee in Salem, November 25. Despite the winter weather, and the pandemic, people are still out and about supporting and shopping small businesses downtown.
Established in 2019, The Freckled Bee carries shirt sizes from newborn all the way up to 5X, including other boutique garments as well. Located on the corner of Liberty and State street, they can make most anything while you wait, which is very convenient for the out of town shoppers and impatient people alike. The Freckled Bee also makes custom engraved cups, cutting boards, wooden signs, jewelry, car decals, UV printed cups, baseball hats, beanies, and much more. Almost everything in the store is made by the owners, Diana and Brandy. They have something for everyone and any occasion. Open from 10-6 Monday-Saturday and 10-4 Sunday's, The Freckled Bee is a great place to find one of a kind pieces and keep our communities small businesses thriving.
The Freckled Bee, November 25, showing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement that has caused quite the national uproar this year.
This small business is not backing down and their stance is clear. With calls on their business line with death threats and nasty remarks, both owners have decided to keep their business a safe place for minority groups and continue to support different progressive movements. Both Diana and Brandy chose to paint the inside of the store windows after people kept wiping it off. Brandy shares, "We've gotten trolled a ton, we've had one of our employee's called the "N" word by someone walking by, and that is just something we will not tolerate." On the other end, they have seen so much support and they constantly have people thanking them for making it a place of inclusivity. The business owners decided to keep their controversial human rights printed shirts visible in the windows at all times. All people are welcome in, but they have no room for hate.
Shaiann Helton (19) organizes and gets ready to print custom shirts in the back room on December 3. She says, "I've been working here for about a month, and I am still getting the hang of things." This time of year is extremely busy for the business, especially the holiday t-shirt orders.
Not only do they do custom walk-in orders, The Freckled Bee utilizes a secondary company created by Brandy Decker, called Spill the Beans. You will find this brands insignia on the left hand corner of all the shirts made here. Brandy started her t-shirt brand back in 2007. As she made shirts for her sons, her friends soon started wanting to order. Spill the Beans gained popularity quickly with it's forward thinking prints, and slogans that are unforgivably honest. Now, Spill the Beans has over 32k followers on Instagram. From an online Etsy store, to now, Brandy brought her company front and center to this downtown Salem storefront.
Diana Cureton (47) getting ready to make her signature cape and mask outfits she sews for children, and adults alike. These make great gifts for young kids and those young at heart.
Diana is part owner of The Freckled Bee and specializes in all the garments in need of a sewing expert. She even makes embroidered logos for other small businesses in the area, including On Any Sundae ice cream shop in Salem. This business owner and mother of five discusses how it's been owning a small business in the middle of a global pandemic. "The small business relief funding has definitely kept us afloat. And our landlords here that own the building have been a huge, huge, help." She continued, "They didn't have to do as much as they did, and that goes for all their tenants." Diana describes the whole downtown area joining forces during this time. "One of the positive things that has happened to the downtown area, is that the small shops and business owners have really come together in support for one another and we have gotten closer. It's really going to build a much stronger community"... "I'm really proud to be apart of it, I wouldn't want to do anything else."
Alec worked on a project with the owners that included him making an original design for custom engraved cups for the Trans Lives Matter movement. Along with their mission, The Freckled Bee has a wide array of toys and activities for newborn to school age children. Melissa and Doug is one of their featured brands that align with the stores vision of equality for all and standing together against racial
Brandy Decker (36) part owner of The Freckled Bee poses proudly for a portrait on December 3.
Brandy is a mother of four a boys and proud business owner of The Freckled Bee. Balancing family life and work seems to come naturally. She has overcome nursing one son through grad school, holding her teaching job, and working her side business, turned full time job, all simultaneously. She knows her dedicated time is precious and well spent. Brandy explains, "I work hard here so I can be home on time for dinner and to see my kids." Decker continues, "There will be weeks where I don't come home at night, at one point I was up to 800 open orders, and that is just part of the sacrifice to pursue my dream and support my family."
In a time of national division, and a global pandemic, The Freckled Bee strives to dedicate their time and efforts to having a diverse work crew, a diverse selection of goods, and a diverse vision of our world to share with those willing to listen.
