The Story of  Bee’s Knee’s Zipper Wax

We have been wondering about how we should tell our story. Nikki says we should start with, “Once upon a time, there was a bee…” Well even though that is, …cute, it is not entirely accurate.

Our story wouldn’t be complete without the bee, nor would it be possible without the bee, but it didn’t start with the bee. It started back  in 1990 and 2010 with a squeakie fan belt, McGyver-esque thinking, stuck zippers and tangled thread!

In my previous career I would help people in and out of dresses, gowns, coats, jackets, blouses, and most of these had zippers, many of them would stick. I also sewed on beading and buttons, repaired hems and seams. If any of you have even just sewn on a button, you know that the thread tangles and knots frequently. To prevent this I would drag the thread along a block of a paraffin blend wax, and the thread wouldn’t tangle. So I thought, “I bet this would work on zippers that stick too”…and it did. It smelled funny but it worked.

Flash Back!  In 1990, I had a 1984 Volvo 240GL, 4 door Sedan, sunroof, leather heated seats, and a tank of an engine, (go ahead, laugh). I loved that car but, the fan belt was always squeaking.

I would carry an piece of wax  in the glove box, and when it would really start to sound like I was holding a flock of seagulls hostage under the hood of my car, while the engine was running, I would hold my wax against the moving fan belt and “viola” silence… Yup, I really did that!

Next stop, April 2010. It was our first year as boat owners, we were at Clinton Yacht Haven our  marina and all of the guys were telling us, ” you won’t ever take your boat canvas’s off, zipping them back on is a pain in the arsk.” (They use a bit more colorful verbage than that!) I told them “No way,  I will take my boat canvas off all the time!”  But yup… they were right, OMG it was awful! The boat canvas zippers were sticking, the snaps were stuck, and the boat canvas was so stiff.  Stuck Zippers, snaps that wouldn’t snap, and sticking slider doors and hatches were  becoming a big problem!

About 10 minutes into the struggle between me and the boat’s windshield canvas stuck zippers, I remembered I  had a small  block of smelly wax in the car (the one I used on thread and zippers).  I grabbed it…ran it up and down the zippers, and it worked  (well if it worked on dress and coat zippers why not boat canvas… right?).  I said to Deb and John the owners of our Marina someone should market this, maybe I will, we all laughed.

On our drive home that day, I was sitting there enjoying the ride, thinking about the day and what a cool thing the smelly wax might bee…I turned to Dawn and said, “Bee’s Knees Zipper Wax” “Get’s Stuff Un-Stuck”…HONEST…that is how it started! Dawn looked at me and said, “What are you talking about?” as usual she though I was just jabbering about something, but I said ” No that’s the name of the wax,
that’s the name of the company, I am going to market this.

Bee’s Knee’s Zipper Wax is  a labor of love and determination. Finding manufacturers, designing the packaging that is still ever evolving, bar-codes, time lines, market and product testing, whew… We tested Bee’s Knee’s Zipper Wax on:

  • Stuck Window
  • Stuck Doors
  • Deck Door Sliders that stick
  • Keys that stick
  • Rusted old Carpenters Tools
  • Nails and screws
  • Thread, Rope, String and lines
  • Canvas and fabrics

It quickly became obvious that the uses for Bee’s Knee’s Zipper Wax were endless!

We decided that Bee’s Knee’s Zipper Wax had to bee 100% natural. We have so many potentially harmful chemicals in our lives, why add one more!

Here is why.

  • Paraffin contains octane/methane,  in their gas form can cause suffocation and are highly combustible!
  • Spray lubricants contain harmful chemicals and propellants that are toxic and flammable
  • Petrolatum based products can actually break down natural fiber
  • Petroleum is a crude oil by product
  • graphite when exposed to open skin can cause irritation and inflammation
  • Silicone can cause a chronic  respiratory condition known as Silicosis
  • 100% natural Bee’s Knee’s Zipper Wax will not harm fabrics, your lungs,  or your skin!  Everything it touches it makes better!
  • I held a cake of it in my hands for four days. at the Newport International Boat Show… may hands NEVER felt smoother!

There is still so much to do to get Bee’s Knees Zipper Wax into every home, car, boat, camper, toolbox, junk drawer and sewing kit.

So there are a few things we will not compromise on:

 

  • We will always focus on “Made in the USA“
  • We will only use 100% natural ingredients, and their by-products.
  • We will always have fun with this company, work should be a passion.
  • We will always give you a great product at a great price.

We are having a blast. Come  join The Bee on her journey!           Remember..

“Bee Cool, Bee Smooth”

 ”Bee’s Knee’s Zipper Wax”

 ”Get’s Stuff Un-Stuck”