Name: Pigeon Mountain Trading Co., a town staple since the 1960s, reopened under new ownership in November 2008.
Owner: Steve McCloud, since he owns two other local businesses and travels extensively, manager Shelly Mathis and assistant manager Phil Shattuck handle the day-to-day operations
Location: 106 N. Duke Street, off East Villanow St., in LaFayette, Ga.
Products/services: Everything needed for beekeeping, from clothes, frames and extractors to packaged bees, supplemental feed and honey jars; general store also stocks full range of pet and livestock feed and medicine, cookware and canning supplies, furniture, gardening tools, seasonal trees, annuals, vegetables and fruits
Age: Mathis is 38, McCloud is in his mid-50s
Biggest hurdle: After the Shattuck family had operated the store for decades, Mathis noted the principal obstacle was expanding the business and alerting the community of the new focus, especially the unique beekeeping supplies and services.
Favorite part of the job: “It’s talking with folks,” said Mathis. “I feel like everyone who comes in here, they’re not just customers, they’re friends.” Customers often come in to discuss livestock or bee questions over a cup of house coffee or a Coke.
Motivation: “We’re trying to nurture and grow the re-establishment of that hobby,” Mathis said of beekeeping, a pastime she said suffers from a lack of accessible supplies. Pigeon Mountain Trading Co. draws customers from Knoxville and Birmingham, Ala., online customers from Canada. The company also has shipped to Iraq and the Bahamas.
Long-term goals: Add hunting and fishing supplies to the stock and develop the junior beekeeping classes.
Little known bee facts: Honey bees pollinate one-third of all the food; 98 percent of all bees are female.
Hours of operation: Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
— Compiled by correspondent Maggie Behringer, maggie.behringer@gmail.com
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