Hello and welcome to Bee’s Knees ‘n’ Knits! We are Kassie Dawn and Kyle Dean, high school sweethearts turned lifelong partners, environmental stewards, seasoned farmers market vendors, market managers, and humble owners of three handicraft businesses in rural Montana. The two of us are currently twenty-three years old and were raised on our respective family’s homesteads in Bigfork, Montana, with a passion for nearly forgotten trades, regenerative farming, culinary arts, creative writing, folklore, and history. Following high school, we sought out conventional paths to success by attending college and taking up multiple jobs in town but soon discovered that that lifestyle was not our cup of tea. At the age of eighteen, we decided to return to our homesteading roots and take our trades more seriously by becoming full-time business owners of Bee’s Knees ‘n’ Knits (2018-present), which led us to directing The Village Markets (2020-present), and opening our brick-and-mortar Bee’s Knees Mercantile (2023-present).
In 2018, we introduced our first business, Bee’s Knees ‘n’ Knits, a take on one of our favorite sayings “bee’s knees,” meaning “outstandingly good,” and that’s exactly what we set out to achieve; dedicated to honoring our heritage and rural community by preserving the arts, culture, and trades of Northwest Montana. Utilizing only the highest quality sustainable raw materials from our homestead and surrounding small farms, we are able to produce small batch traditional gifts and goods. Our Montana made products include a variety of fibercrafts, herbal remedies, pottery, woodcrafts, and metalworks in the creation of traditional soaps, herbal salves, beeswax candles, wood cutting boards and utensils, copper cast ware, ceramic dishware, sacred instruments, wool dryer balls and sheets, millspun wool yarn, knitwear, woven goods, and eco-dyed accessories. As months turned to years, we became more skilled in our craft, we stocked a select few shops, applied for events, and upon acceptance, began attending farmers markets and craft shows to sling our wares throughout the Flathead, Bitterroot, and Jefferson Valley, as well towns in Idaho. After successful market seasons, we yearned to facilitate our own workshops and events to share our ancestral wisdom and trades.
In 2020, we introduced The Village Markets, a series of seasonal handmade and homegrown markets based on the belief that it takes a village to provide and revive the spirit of community, held at the Swan River Community Hall in Bigfork. As artisans ourselves, we have a special affinity for our fellow stewards and value those who share in our mission of preserving the arts, culture, and trades of Montana. Depending on the season, we feature between 20 to 50 hand-picked vendors ranging from local farms and ranchers, artisans, food trucks, live musicians and entertainment with an emphasis on product diversity. Booths range from good eats, sweet treats, and refreshments to fresh flowers, holistic skincare, metalworks, fibercrafts, woodcrafts, glass and fine art, decor, and stationary. Amongst the booths, we offer live music, activities, and a photo prop area to capture memories, along with sponsored booth spaces for aspiring artists under the age of 18 in effort to support young entrepreneurs. As active members of the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce, we were able to expand our reach to help bridge the gap between small-scale farms, skilled tradesmen, and conscious consumers, which allows us to invest in our community both socially and economically.
In 2023, our friend and local wellness practitioner, Ai Yuasa-Green, presented us with the opportunity to open a wellness collective with the vision to serve as a wholesome gathering place, embracing the arts and wellness practices. Having always dreamt of opening a brick and mortar, we eagerly signed the lease and began renovations to transform our sacred space. In the Springtime, we opened The Nook at Bigfork Bay: home of Aiology Works and Bee’s Knees Mercantile. Together, we offer holistic goods and services, such as intentionally crafted gifts for the heart and home, healing sessions, and immersive workshops, as well as invite other practitioners for wellness pop-ups. Ai Yuasa-Green, founder of The Nook at Bigfork Bay and Aiology Works, offers sound meditation and tuning fork sessions, as well as Thetahealing instructor training classes and sessions to support you on your wellness journey. We are shop keeps of the other branch of The Nook, Bee’s Knees Mercantile, featuring not only our own Montana made products, but a curated collection of artisan gifts and apothecary goods from local businesses and farms in Montana with an emphasis on low waste and sustainable practices. We currently feature 40+ local makers with locally grown herbs or blends, kitchen wares, household essentials, herbal skincare, artisan accessories, functional art and decor, and stationary.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for following along our journey. We are fortunate to use this platform to continue serving our community and are looking forward to expanding into a cafe sometime in the future. Until then, we humbly invite you to stay connected with recent updates, workshop and market opportunities, and offerings by following our social media pages. As always, shop, share, and support local. If you’ve shopped with us before or attended any of our events, thank you! Your kind words never go unnoticed!
