By Hoa Quach

A new business has become the buzz around North Park.

Bee Happy, which opened at 2637 University Ave. this month, is home to all products related to bees and any supplies beekeepers may need.

Owner Erin Holko, 35, said she felt the need to open Bee Happy after she developed an interest in the honey-making insects.

The hobby flourished after Holko and her husband, Ben, discovered bees flocking to their Serra Mesa home about five years ago.

“Rather than getting rid of the bees, we let them stay,” Holko said. “We eventually called a beekeeper and moved them into a hive.”

Holko’s home now has three hives, each of which can produce anywhere from 80 to 100 pounds of honey a year.

Her sons Jacob and Ryan also follow their mother’s interest: Each have their own beekeeping suits and hives to care for.

But when it came to finding supplies for her hobby, it wasn’t so easy.

Holko said she couldn’t find San Diego retailers who had the goods she needed and found herself ordering supplies online or from her father who owns Masterson’s Garden Center in Buffalo, NY.

“I got frustrated that I couldn’t buy supplies locally and had to buy online,” said Holko, who has lived in San Diego for 14 years. “I wanted to be able to touch the supplies and see them in person. There are a couple of places that sell beekeeping supplies but it’s all secondary to what they carry. ”

After talking to her husband and father, Holko decided to step out of her full-time job as a stay-at-home mom and open her first business. But this sharp change came as no surprise to herself or her family.

“I’ve always been a plant person and I’ve always appreciated bees,” Holko said. “I always knew I’d have some kind of business. I just didn’t know it would be about bees.”

Holko said growing up in a family-owned business prepared her for opening Bee Happy. Her parents opened Masterson’s Garden Center in 1986 when she was just 8 years old.

Holko and her three brothers worked in the store and did everything from working the cash register to answering phones. The experience, she said, gave her the first-hand knowledge of what it meant to own a business.

It was also easy to settle on North Park as the neighborhood for the shop’s location.

“I like this neighborhood,” Holko said. “I like the feeling that people are looking for locally-sourced items and that there’s a lot of walk-by traffic.”

In fact, her biggest challenge isn’t the store itself but being away from her children.

“The business changed the whole family’s game plan,” Holko said. “It was very hard. I have to work to keep a balance between business and family.”

Despite the challenges of being away from her family, Holko is determined to make Bee Happy a one-stop shop for beekeepers and those seeking bee-related products. She’s also made it a priority to support other local businesses by carrying their items as well.

“Part of my goal is to sell locally-owned products or products from women-owned businesses,” said Holko, who previously served as a manager at Evergreen Nursery. “I want to support other beekeepers too.”

Bee Happy supplies everything from beekeeping suits to handmade soaps to award-winning honey and honey combs. The business has also been well-received from passersby and new customers, said Holko, who opened the store in November.

“Almost everyone knows someone who keeps bees,” Holko said. “I think more and more people are also becoming interested in beekeeping. It’s really neat. People are curious about the store and are interested in bees and honey.”

Bee Happy will host a grand opening celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22.

For more information about Bee Happy, visit beehappysandiego.com.

—Contact Hoa Quach by visiting her website, hoawrites.com.