World Honey Bee Day is August 17th, and there is one Burbank resident who doesn’t just celebrate this day once a year, but in her every day life and business. Meet Burbank mom, business owner, and beekeeper, Carrie Díazzz, who has combined both of her two passions: fashion and bees, to bring a new educational, immersive, experience to the community.
Díazzz’s store front, the well known and beloved women’s second-hand clothing boutique, Best Friend Central, went through a metamorphosis this Spring, as it shifted to what is now known as Hive & Hanger. Díazzz describes living a double life, a beekeeper in the morning, shedding the white suit and pulling on a vintage dress to open her Magnolia Park boutique in the afternoon. It was then that she realized that she needed to do something that hadn’t been done before: purpose driven vintage shopping and bee education from a local beekeeper all under one roof.
A year ago, Díazzz launched her very own beekeeping experience to the public called the “Positive Vibes Bee Experience,” where people can get geared up in a bee suit, learn about bees firsthand from her Burbank hives, and sample fresh honey. Since then, Díazzz has been expanding her education on bee advocacy and sustainability and is enrolled in the California Master Beekeeper Program through UC Davis.
For Díazzz’s Master Level program, she is working on a capstone project which will demonstrate her expertise and knowledge in native bees and pollinator gardens, urban beekeeping, scientific research, education and outreach, and more. For her project she is transforming Hive and Hanger into an immersive bee experience featuring an exhibition of seven to nine interactive learning stations that will include things like sting therapy, food pollination, the making of honey, and micro-plastics.
The interactive stations will tackle visitors’ sense of sight, smell, and sound. “So much of caring for bees involves all of our senses and is the foundation of an ancient symbiotic relationship between humans and bees. Bees and humans are not just about the taste of sweet honey on our tongue or the fear of being stung,” said Díazzz who is working with the title of the exhibit, “Fear to Fascination: Bees Among Us.” “We’re connected by the sound when the bees click over to a different pitch of buzzing in our ears, the smell of the air when thousands of bees flap their wings in a hive,” adds Díazzz who is excited to share this perspective that is well known to beekeepers, and bring it to the community.
While bees are a big part of Hive & Hanger, let’s not forget about the fashion side. Díazzz has a passion for sustainable clothing and wants to educate the public on how the dangers of fast fashion are impacting our climate. In a New York Times article, it stated that textiles produce 35% of the micro-plastic pollution in the world’s oceans, coming to about 2.2 million tons a year. “Re-learning how to get comfy, easy, outfits from what you already have is a huge earth friendly flex,” says Díazzz. “On average, people only wear 10-30% of the clothes they own. One of my super powers is making outfits from your closet you didn’t even know you had.” Her closet makeovers help clients get excited about the clothes they already own, and get them to make eco-friendly lifestyles choices.
Currently you can visit Hive and Hanger at 3427 W Magnolia Blvd in Burbank, and shop second-hand clothing all personally curated by Díazzz herself. She also carries a wide range of bee gifts, honey straight from her Burbank hive, and even bee water fountains. She is even in the works of creating her own line of bee inspired shirts, baseball caps, and journals to add to the mix, and always looking to highlight artisans who sell bee centric goods.
While Díazzz works on her UC Davis program, she is excited to get Hive and Hanger to the educational hub she envisions. She is currently raising money to help her with the transition and the public is welcome to donate to the cause here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/Burbank-Pollinator-Education-Hub. Díazzz hopes to have the “Fear to Fascination: Bees Among Us” experience open by Christmas of this year.
If you can’t wait for the experience to open, you can always book a beekeeping experience with Díazzz, who is also adding a “Letting Go” burning ceremony this fall. In collaboration with local florists, Díazzz is creating an experience for people to write down their intentions on strips of paper, place them in the bee smoker with dried roses for love, daisies for new beginnings, iris for hope, and peonies for prosperity. “You can watch your intentions disperse into the world as beautiful plumes of smoke,” she adds.
The experiences include all protective gear and tools and finishes with a honey-tasting straight from the hive itself. You can book it for up to six people, ages six and up. For more information you can email Díazzz at hiveandhanger@gmail.com or visit Hive and Hanger in person.
