06/01/2026
🎉 We’re celebrating our 5th birthday this week! 🎉
While I’m beyond excited for this milestone, I’m also feeling a little disheartened.
I rarely share my feelings as a business owner on social media, but owning a business in downtown Greenville is a bit different. Because our charming downtown is somewhat isolated from larger cities, the viability of small businesses here depends greatly on local community support.
While the past few days could simply be chalked up to a slow sales week, it has been discouraging to see sales plummet after the removal of the downtown benches. As a downtown business owner, this decision feels especially significant because I feel the extra weight of helping support over 200 local makers and small biz owners here inside The Hive. 💛
For the past five years, we’ve had seating outside our front door, and we switched to beautiful new benches just a few months ago. We’ve loved watching people from all walks of life stop to sit, chat, rest, and enjoy our downtown community. 🐝
This past week has been a whirlwind of graduation preparations, so I’m still catching up on all the details surrounding the bench removal. However, I personally was not aware of the plan. Seeing fewer places for people to rest is concerning, especially for those with mobility challenges. In a downtown like ours, where walkability is key, those small opportunities to pause and recharge can make a big difference in how many local businesses shoppers are able to visit.
So please, on behalf of the 200+ local small businesses represented here at The Hive, come take a rest on our benches, have a conversation, relax, and maybe enjoy a macaron or other sweet treat while you recharge. 😜🧁
And if you’re a Hive vendor, customer, or supporter of local small businesses, and you feel it on your heart, would you please share this post? 📣
Most importantly, THANK YOU to our incredible vendors, customers, and community for supporting us over the past five years. We are so grateful for every visit, every purchase, and every kind word. 🥹💛
We can’t wait to share all the fun birthday surprises we have planned! Stay tuned!!! 🎂🎈🎉
Much love,
Kristin
