VALDOSTA – On National Honey Bee Day, Aug. 15, the appropriately named Honey Pot the Wax Spot opened its doors to customers for full-body waxing, make-up application and spray tanning.

Valdosta native Stacie Pridgen received her bachelor’s of business administration, majoring in marketing and minoring in sales management, from Georgia Southern University and “learned the ropes of philanthropy” during her time as a member of Alpha Delta Pi.

Her post-college journey led her to living in six cities in three states all within four years for her sales career.

But, as they say, home is where the heart is, and Pridgen returned home to Valdosta to open her own business.

“Although I loved my career I wanted to use my creative and marketing skills to provide a platform to empower women,” Pridgen said. “Life has a funny way of reminding you, you are not in control, and I love to respond hands in the air with a smile on my face, like I ride my favorite roller coaster.”

Pridgen struggled with sensitive, allergy-prone skin her entire life and who better to turn to for those issues than mother nature herself or, rather, queen bees.

Pridgen said her business uses honey wax with no chemical additives, making it a great alternative for sensitive skin as it will not result in redness or irritation.

She also wanted to ensure all products used within Honey Pot give back, from the makeup line to the spray tans, and they’ve adopted their own local beehive.

“Our retail beauty care products are all female-owned, fair-trade companies who give 10-20% of profits to bee conservation and sustainable bee operation,” Pridgen said. “We love to give back to the community we serve and look forward to school and organization sponsorships and opportunities.”

Honey Pot is partnered with Operation Honey Bee, a movement that serves to protect honeybees worldwide through research and fundraising with 100% of money raised to saving bees.

“It only takes one to make a difference, joining together as a hive, can make a world of difference,” Pridgen said.

Honey Pot the Wax Spot is located at 1595 Baytree Road and can be reached at (229) 561-0588. They can also be found on Facebook, Instagram and Google+. 

Desiree Carver is a reporter at the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be reached at (229) 244-3400 ext. 1215.