Bee’s Knees Site Starts Buzz Online
Lindsay Hall has always loved clothes and fashion. Like many girls, it’s a passion she developed thanks to her mother.
“My mom always loved dressing well and instilled that value in me,” the Preston Hollow resident said. “She made it fun for us, too.”
But it wasn’t until the fall of 2008 when the Abilene Christian University graduate realized she wanted to open a shop herself. At the time, she was working at a dress shop called Jigsaw in Oxford, England, thanks to a six-month, work-abroad program.
“That was my first time to really work in retail, and I realized that I just loved connecting with the customer, but also having the task of finding something flattering that they’d feel good in.”
She admits the goal of having her own store “felt so unattainable” at the time. But she credits some faith-based, goal-setting materials for helping her realize longtime dreams, such as working abroad and opening her own shop.
“One of the taglines is that all the things you’ve always wanted to do, you should do them,” she said. “That started to formulate thoughts in my mind: what do I feel like the Lord has blessed me with? How do I catapult those things into reality?”
The reality turned out to be an online shop she named Bee’s Knees Loft, after the expression’s popularity in Britain. The website went live in early November, and Facebook and Instagram accounts soon followed to help spread the word.
A few friends from her Watermark Community Church circles have helped her get started in various ways. One Watermark friend, Taylor Beam, was able to lend a hand with photography and design.
“I love the idea of it, obviously, and the mission behind it — it’s not just about clothes,” Beam said. “It’s about people, too. She knows how to make the bigger picture come together.”
[pullquote-left]“My biggest hope is to continue — that Bee’s Knees would be longstanding, and also that it’s something that continues to be high quality,” Lindsay Hall said.[/pullquote-left]
When pulling products from market, Hall likes to look for pieces that are “fashion-forward but also timeless, sophisticated, and classy.”
But she’s also keeping the value of what she sells in mind, and not just the aesthetics.
“She’s so committed to her product quality, too,” said Beam, who has also made purchases from Bee’s Knees. “They’re trendy pieces, but really good quality that’s going to last.”
Right now, the website only caters to women’s fashions, but friends have asked her what may be next, such as men’s clothing or maternity pieces, or even a storefront. But Hall’s goals are a little more one-step-at-a-time than that.
“My biggest hope is to continue — that Bee’s Knees would be longstanding, and also that it’s something that continues to be high quality,” she said.
This story appears in the January edition of Preston Hollow People, on stands now.
