CLEARFIELD – If you are having a hard time finding the right gift for a family member or friend, you may want to visit Bumble and the Bee in Clearfield.
This gift shop, located at 1921 Daisy Street Extension, or just past the Clearfield Mall on U.S. Route 322, houses a wide variety of products that make great gifts or as they say “home décor and more.”
This includes candy, snacks, jams, salad dressings, soup, baskets, candles, macramé, garden flags, welcome mats, wind chimes, knick knacks, memorial items and various wooden items such as benches and much more. And they have also added wine from Uncle D’s Winery in Smithmill.
Many of these things are locally made or produced, according to owner Ernie Aughenbaugh. His daughter, Brianna, runs the store, which moved to its current location in June.
The name Bumble and the Bee comes from Ernie’s nickname of Bumble, from the abominable snowman in the Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer TV special, and Brianna’s nickname, Bee.
Brianna explained that the store, originally located at 211 Chester St., came up for sale in 2022 and they purchased it, opening there with their new name on Dec. 3, 2022.
The business is “nothing like we expected,” she laughed, adding that it has been much more time consuming than she imagined.
They moved after Ernie purchased the former Ken Braniff Motors building.
“We decided it was better to have our own building rather than renting.”
With the new property came a U-Haul rental business, which has proved busy in the summer months.
The new location is also much more visible than the original one. This led to a new group of customers, Penn State fans on their way to football games, stopping in for snacks.
They seemed to like the Exotic Jerky made from alligators and other odd meats including one flavor called “Road Kill,” she said.
Other snacks the fans chose are selections from the King Krunch brand of Brookville who has a variety of pretzels and snack mixes.
Ernie explained that before carrying any product, they try it out first. When he went to the King Krunch location, they thought he was crazy because he wanted “one of everything.”
Brianna said her favorite product is their line of candles from Crossroads Candles, which has 74 different fragrances and burns cleanly.
Bumble and the Bee have a focus on local businesses artists and crafters who don’t have a way to display their products to the public.
This includes goat milk soap from Aimee Gardner of West Decatur, Finders Keepers air fresheners made by Denise McGarry, Ash’s Wax’s squeezable wax from Philipsburg, and hand-made wooden items from Rick’s Wood Crafts of Curwensville, among others.
In addition they carry Somerset’s Bumbleberry Farms’ honey and spreads, Jeff’s Jams and Salsa from Howard, Carriage House Jams from DuBois, sauces and dressings from Village Eatinghouse in Karthaus, freeze dried soups from Cooke Tavern Soup in Spring Mills, Oh Sugarz of Rimersburg’s freeze dried candy and Gardner’s Candy of Tyrone.
In the future, they hope to sell baked goods from Bake Shop Bakes of Tyrone, their former neighbor at the original site.
“We are a local business helping local families,” Brianna noted.
Among the numerous other products found in the store are:
- Frag Out Flavor’s quality seasonings and BBQ rubs to prepare meals that bring families and friends together. This is a veteran-owned company.
- Multiple flavors of all-natural beef jerky from Rightous Felon in West Chester
- A full line of Evergreen flags and Sassafrass mats.
- Table cloths, place mats, curtains and more from Park Designs of North Carolina. (The store can order anything from their catalog.)
- Signs and outdoor décor for every occasion.
Ernie noted that they are now offering various gift shop items such as those previously carried at Clearfield Pharmacy.
On Small Business Saturday, there will be a discount of 20 percent off almost everything except some craft items. Samples will be available that day for you to try some of their tasty selections.
Bumble and the Bee do custom gift baskets and if you are not sure what you want, Brianna said she can “do the thinking for you.” Or you can purchase a gift card.
During the holiday season, they will be open their regular hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you need a last-minute gift, they will be open Christmas Eve.
Plans for the future include expanding into the garage area of the building to have a permanent holiday room.
To keep up to date on their diverse inventory, follow them on Facebook.
