Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Robeson.
Hi Nicole, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a child, I always displayed creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. I would develop little companies every summer. One summer, it was “Blondies Brownies”, where I would take orders from my neighbors and sell batches of brownies. The next summer it was making Guatemalan worry dolls for an art gallery. I got my first job at a boutique where my mom shopped for home and holiday decor. This is where I worked from high school and through college and learned this business. I first studied architecture and decided that it wasn’t for me. I ended up finishing with a science degree just to have something. After using my degree for a year, I really missed being creative. I decided to open up my first shop in Scottsdale, AZ. I had the shop for four years and sold it after getting married and deciding to move to California. Upon arriving to California, I had two sons and stayed at home with them for the first five years. I was getting the retail itch and really missed home decor, designing, creating, and helping people decorate their homes I decided it was time to open another shop and it would be in Pasadena.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There hasn’t been any obstacle or challenge in my life that I couldn’t get around. I have always had the ambition to succeed in whatever I put my mind to. When I was opened my first shop, my insurance agent asked me “what is your plan B” and I just looked at him and said “there is no plan b, I was going to succeed!” I have been very blessed in my life and have to say the only major struggle I’ve had was during the shutdown of 2020 due to covid. It was mainly the uncertainty of not knowing what was going to happen and if the business could survive because I didn’t have a shopping website.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Bee Cottage. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Bee Cottage specializes in what I like to call the “icing on the cake” After you get your main furniture pieces and it’s time to add the finishing touches, head over to The Bee Cottage. We sell home decor, accessories, wall art, small furniture, fine permanent florals and holiday decorations. Our clients bring in photos and/or fabric swatches and we help them with accessorizing. During the fourth quarter of the year, we bring in holiday merchandise to decorate your home with. Fall and Christmas garlands, wreaths, centerpieces, ornaments, and gift items. We also decorate homes for the holidays.
How do you think about luck?
I feel like I have had good luck in my life and business. When I decided to sell my first business, I had a buyer within four days, which is unheard of for a specialty business. I have always thought that hard work pays off. I have always busted my hind no matter what and had a great work ethic. Everything has worked in my favor and I feel very blessed.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: beecottagepasadena.com
- Instagram: thebeecottagepasadena
- Facebook: The Bee Cottage
