Pigeon Mountain Trading Company was named August Downtown Business of the Month because of its work to promote beekeeping, according to the LaFayette Downtown Development Authority’s Promotions Committee.

“The reason beekeeping is so important to us is because the honey bee is responsible for pollinating one-third of all the food we eat,” Pigeon Mountain Trading Company General Manager Shelly Mathis said. “Most alarming is that in recent years, the honey bee population has been on a steady decline.”

Pigeon Mountain Trading Company is dedicated and committed to the preservation and growth of the honey bee, and employees are working diligently to create a program for younger beekeepers in the North Georgia area, she said.

“The survival of the honey bees depends on it,” she said. “We must raise awareness about the importance of the honey bee for future generations.”

Employees pride themselves on the knowledge they have gained through the years from educators, researchers, fellow beekeepers and manufacturers of beekeeping equipment, and employees are happy to be able to pass that knowledge on to customers, she said. The business has customers from Georgia, Tennessee and as far away as Birmingham.

Pigeon Mountain Trading has its own “Honey House” for extracting and packaging honey. The business stocks a wide array of products, including various animal and pet feeds, gardening supplies, nursery items, cookware, canning supplies and seasonal items, such as fruits and vegetables.

The business opened at its N. Duke Street location in December 2008, she said, and is a division of U.S. Vinyl Manufacturing, which also owns and operates Accent Graphics. Both businesses are also in LaFayette.

Owners had planned to locate on Ga. 337, close to the Shaw and Roper plants, when the current site became available for purchase from the Shattuck family who had owned the business for many years. They opted for the Duke Street location to be downtown.

“The people of LaFayette have been great to us,” Ms. Mathis said. “I love the fact that everyone works together toward a common goal. I also enjoy the great things that are organized for the businesses downtown to encourage not only our community to shop with us, but surrounding communities to visit as well.

“Small towns like ours all over the country are struggling due to the harsh economic times,” she said. “I feel it is most important to shop local, and support the local businesses to generate the revenue to keep small town America going.”

Employees focus on doing everything possible to nurture and grow relationships in town, particularly in making sure customers are satisfied and happy with their experience in the store.

“Our customers are our No. 1 priority,” Ms. Mathis said. “It is very important to us not only to have the customer relationship, but to have the personal friendship aspect of the relationship as well.”

Pigeon Mountain Trading is actively involved with WACOPEP, or Walker County Partners for Educational Progress, and makes donations to churches, civic organizations and numerous athletic associations, she said.

As the business grows, Pigeon Mountain Trading will continue to add new items and would like to expand the business to include hunting and fishing supplies, she said.