June 22, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Bye Bye Busy Bee: Santa Monica’s Beloved Busy Bee Hardware is Closing its Doors

Dear friends of The Busy Bee,

There are lots of things about our world that are changing, lots of things that look and feel oh so different from the days of our grandparents, our parents, or even our own childhood. But there’s one thing that stays constant through it all, runs like an unbreakable golden thread through our lives. It’s our ability to love and be of service to each other. This has been the essence of The Busy Bee as it has been run by my family – my grandfather Marshall Higgins (from 1963-1980), my father Don Kidson (from 1963-2017) and my brother Jeff Kidson (from 1975-1988). My father, who many of you remember well, was sole owner since 1988. Sadly, he passed on in August of this year, but he left a legacy of joy in serving and sharing with all who crossed his path. Dad’s love of helping people solve the little problems of their lives as a regular sales clerk at the store was plain to me since my childhood. It was the nightly news at our dinner table. Later in life he shared his passion for helping and healing mankind through involvement with the then nascent raw food movement. And Dad always loved family–his family, the store family, his church family, and the whole family of man. He always told me that since childhood having a family was his dream, and that once he and mom had my brother and me, it was his love for us that inspired him to do more than he ever imagined he could.

There’s one other family, besides mine, who has been integral in the history of the Busy Bee — the Haine family. They started it, built the building it has been in since 1922, and sold only the business to my grandfather and father in 1963. Thus they remained a part of the Busy Bee family, acting as its landlords for the last 54 years. For over a year now, Busy Bee has known that the Haine family wished to sell the property. While sad to leave the building, which includes banks of lovely little screw drawers which were actually built by my great grandfather, we all knew that without moving to a location with parking, the business was no longer viable. One of the employees had wanted to buy the business, and agreements were made to sell to him. Haine made agreements to sell the property to UCLA, which has worked collaboratively and cooperatively with us for several months in the hopes that we would all be able to achieve our desired goals. There were many twists and turns along the way, but until the very end of last week, it looked like there would be a way for the business to continue at what looked to be a very suitable Santa Monica location. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to be the case, (unless one of you reading this has the desire and ability to move the business immediately).

Thus, we will be closing our doors very soon, so that the building can be vacated in advance of its sale early in the new year. So, if you need any items in the next week or so, or just wish to get some bargains on useful Christmas items, please stop by. The more you buy the more you’ll save with deductions taken before tax of 20-40% on every purchase of $25 or more. (Note this is for cash or credit card sales only.)

All of us at Busy Bee are disappointed that we aren’t going to be able to serve Santa Monica in the days ahead, but we are humbled by and so grateful for the many people in the community who offered to help if they could. Santa Monica woman’s commissioner Diane Miller has been working for months to secure a path forward for the store. She has been joined by the Santa Monica Conservancy, The Mid Cities Neighborhood Association and others in various organizations along with the many hundreds of santa monicans who have shopped with us for decades and become part of our Busy Bee family.

Please know we have been deeply gratified by the outpouring of love and support from the community throughout our years at 1521 Santa Monica Blvd. As we all move forward, let us pollinate our world with the spirit of love and service, and then we will, like “busy bees”, enable the flowering of all that is good and beautiful in our communities and bring nourishing sweetness to our homes and families.

Although I am not able to get away at this time, I send you greetings from my home in Missouri and I know all of the truly special “busy bees” at the store hope to see you in the next couple of days and personally thank you for your many years of patronage.

 

With sincere appreciation,

Laura Kidson Hausladen

<>Related Posts

Malibu Traffic Delays Expected: REPORT

June 21, 2025

June 21, 2025

The warning applies to the first weekend of summer Transportation officials are warning travelers on the Pacific Coast Highway through...

Strongman to Pull 34,680-Pound Bus at Santa Monica Pier

June 21, 2025

June 21, 2025

Licis, also the 2022 “Arnold Strongman Classic” champion, will undertake the feat to showcase his strength  Strongman Martins Licis, the...

All Aboard to LAX: Metro Opens Game-Changing Transit Hub Ahead of Global Events

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

 New LAX/Metro Transit Center Comes Closer to Connecting Metro Directly to LAX The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)...

New Leadership at Samohi: Jane Han Named House Principal

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Equity-Focused Educator Joins Samohi Leadership Team By Diana Bouchaaya, SMMUSD Communications Specialist The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board...

Food Fight on the Venice Boardwalk: Chefs Stand Up for Immigrants with Food

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Turk’s Pizza Party Rallies Top Local Eateries for an Immigrant Rights Fundraiser In a bold display of culinary activism, Turk’s...

Weekend Lane Closures on PCH in Malibu Could Snarl Summer Beach Traffic

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Army Corps Work Triggers Weekend Closure on Pacific Coast Highway Motorists traveling along Pacific Coast Highway this weekend should prepare...

SMC Gallery to Showcase Faculty Art in Virtual Exhibition

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

The online event will feature works by seven Emeritus faculty artists. The Santa Monica College Emeritus Art Gallery will host...

(Video) Where great minds grow at The Willows Community School

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

The Willows, a DK-8 co-educational school, enrolls 474 students from 57+ zip codes annually. As a balanced, progressive educational leader, experiential learning,...

Film Review: The Life of Chuck

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

FILM REVIEWTHE LIFE OF CHUCKRated R110 MinutesReleased June 6th A  heartfelt movie of lie, love, friendship and loss, delivered in...

THIS WEEKEND: Five Outdoor Concerts for Make Music Day Comes to Santa Monica

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

The global event, inspired by France’s Fête de la Musique, unites communities through music and is observed in over 800...

(Video) The Guest List Collab Dinner with Chef Raphael Lunetta and Chef Alan Wong

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

Held at Marelle Restaurant at The Sandbourne Hotel in Santa Monica. An Incredible mix of Hawaiian and Santa Monica’s flavors...

Jeni’s Drops Goose-Inspired Ice Cream Flavor to Kick Off Summer of Sweetness

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

Goose Tracks Is a Nod to the Jam-Band’s Live Magic + Super Fun Times Flavors Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is...

Santa Monica’s ‘Summer Soulstice’ Festival Returns with Music, Classic Cars, and Family Fun

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

The event, featuring music, a PRIDE-themed bingo, a car show and a beer garden, spans Main Street from Strand Street...

(Video) A Plus Tree: A Steward of Urban Forest Management Across Los Angeles

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

For More Information, Go to Aplustree.com For More Information, Go to https://t.co/oL7U8M4k7B pic.twitter.com/fCAYMCsLXU — Santa Monica Mirror (@SMMirror) June 19,...

(Video) See Inside Voodoo Doughnuts’ New Venice Beach Shop

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

The Creative Portland Franchise Has Opened Up at Windward Circle The Creative Portland Franchise Has Opened Up at Windward Circle....