Story and Photos by Sarah Owens
Just off Interstate 20 in Irondale, tucked beside youth baseball fields and family traffic, sits a storefront unlike any other in the Birmingham area.
Inside, visitors can sample different honeys, peek inside a bee colony, browse shelves of beekeeping equipment and candles made from local beeswax or sign up for classes on everything from beekeeping to pollinator education.
For owner Adam Hickman, that kind of space once felt far out of reach. “This was originally a hobby,” Hickman says. “I am my customer. I built the business out of a need for good teaching and good equipment available locally.”
What began as a small side business selling extra beekeeping supplies has steadily evolved into one of the Southeast’s more recognizable beekeeping brands. Over the past few years, the company has expanded from a garage operation to a downtown Birmingham warehouse storefront and, most recently, into a new 5,000-square-foot retail and education center in Irondale.
The company’s new location, which opened last November on appropriately named Honey Lane, reflects not only the business’ physical growth, but also its evolving mission. “We are a beekeeping store, but we are unique in that we serve beekeepers and also not beekeepers,” Hickman says. “If you know nothing about bees, you can come into our store, have a great experience, taste a bunch of honey, see some live bees, take some classes.”
That accessibility has become central to the company’s identity. While Foxhound still sells traditional beekeeping equipment—including hive boxes, bees and queens—the Irondale space was intentionally designed to create a broader community experience centered around education, curiosity and hands-on interaction.
For Amy Seiber, who joined the company in 2021 after retiring from a 26-year career as a high school art teacher, the new store has opened doors that simply were not possible in the company’s previous warehouse space. “The previous location was in a warehouse with no heat, air conditioning or running water,” Seiber says. “If we wanted to have a class, we had to borrow space.”
Now, Foxhound hosts homeschool groups, school field trips and educational workshops inside a dedicated classroom space. The company recently launched a women-focused beekeeping group and plans to host summer camps for children focused on pollination and pollinators. “We really do a lot of education,” Seiber says. “We teach classes both for people who want to be beekeepers and for kids who need to learn about pollination.”
That educational focus stems from personal experience. Seiber says she first became interested in beekeeping after reading The Secret Life of Bees and eventually found herself caring for bees with little guidance or mentorship. Years later, she now helps mentor newer beekeepers through Foxhound’s classes and hive consultation services. “That’s what we are trying to be for beekeepers in the area,” she says. “Supplies or questions or getting started.”
Behind the retail storefront, the company’s warehouse operation continues to grow as well. Hickman says Foxhound now ships more than 100 orders per day and already serves international customers, though the company plans to further expand its global shipping reach moving forward.
Seiber adds that the company hopes to bring on additional team members as demand continues to increase. Even with the company’s rapid growth, both Hickman and Seiber repeatedly return to the same idea: curiosity.
Foxhound’s customer base ranges from serious beekeepers to families stopping in after nearby ball practices. Some visitors come only for honey or candles. Others walk in simply because they are intrigued by the storefront. “You don’t have to be a beekeeper to come here,” Seiber says. “You can just be curious.”
That curiosity is something Hickman understands well. After all, it was curiosity that started the business in the first place.
Foxhound Bee Company is located at 300 Honey Lane in Irondale and open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more at foxhoundbeecompany.com.
