A good dinner party often begins long before anyone arrives. It starts with the right plates pulled from the cabinet, a favorite set of glasses, candles on the table and the small decisions that make a gathering feel considered without becoming fussy.
Hive & Homestead has become a place for those decisions.
The downtown St. Augustine shop, created by Justin Stubblefield as a sister concept to STUBBEES, brings a collection of tabletop, home and gift brands that are not easily found elsewhere in the area. For local shoppers, it offers an alternative to ordering online or making a trip to Jacksonville, Orlando or a larger retail market to find the sort of pieces typically associated with department stores such as Saks or Nordstrom.
The shelves hold handmade dinnerware from Vietri and Juliska, polished flatware, glassware, serving pieces, decorative accents and seasonal items meant to come out for holidays, celebrations and ordinary dinners that deserve a little attention. Jewelry lines including Julie Vos and Anabel Aram add another layer to the mix, alongside colorful lacquered home accessories from Addison Ross.
“We purposely looked at companies and brands that you don’t get to see unless you’re in Town Center or Orlando,” Stubblefield says. “No one in this whole county is bringing in” those kinds of offerings.
That decision speaks to a changing vision for downtown retail. St. Augustine will always be a place where visitors look for a reminder of their trip, but Stubblefield believes the city’s historic shopping district can also serve the people who live nearby—particularly those looking for a wedding gift, a beautiful new serving bowl, a fresh set of stemware or the pieces that make hosting feel more personal.
“It’s not keychains and T-shirts anymore,” he says. “It’s slowly but surely evolving.”
Hive & Homestead grew out of a family conversation. When STUBBEES moved its main concept to St. George Street, Stubblefield’s mother, aunts and grandmother encouraged him to rethink the available space rather than let it go. Their suggestion: create a store centered on handmade goods and well-made brands.
“They really sparked the idea,” Stubblefield says.
The name ties the two concepts together. “Hive” reflects the honey business, while “Homestead” points to the home-focused assortment. About 99 percent of the inventory is handmade, he says, with goods sourced from the United States and abroad.
Vietri remains a centerpiece of the collection. The Italian brand works with family-run workshops whose makers pass down their crafts through generations, creating dinnerware, glassware, flatware and décor with a distinctly Italian sensibility. Juliska offers another approach to the tabletop, with pieces designed for layering, collecting and using across seasons. Together, the lines invite customers to move beyond the idea of saving fine china for a special occasion.
For Stubblefield, who enjoys cooking himself, tabletop pieces have an immediate appeal because they are meant to be lived with. Customers often respond most strongly to useful items, he says, including kitchen accessories and Italian-made olive oil cans.
“People like utility,” he says. “When things swing the other way, people like workhorses in the kitchen.”
That practical point of view shapes the store’s inventory. Hive & Homestead may offer elevated pieces, but it is not built around precious objects meant to sit untouched on a shelf. The goal is to give customers access to pieces that can handle a dinner party, elevate a weeknight meal or become part of the rhythm of a home.
The selection is also intentionally fluid. Stubblefield and his team watch closely to see how customers are shopping, then adjust quickly. One area may sell through and be replaced by another category entirely. Seasonal entertaining items rotate in, new brands are introduced and returning customers are likely to find something different on each visit.
“You have to be flexible,” he says. “As soon as customers notice behavior changes, we change.”
The shop is now expanding into bridal registries, answering another need Stubblefield noticed downtown. With weddings woven into the rhythm of St. Augustine, couples have few local places to build a traditional registry around tabletop and home goods they can actually see and feel in person. Hive & Homestead’s Bride-to-Be Registry will allow couples to choose dinnerware, flatware, stemware and other home pieces, while also offering STUBBEES honey favors for the celebration.
Visitors remain an important part of the business. Many choose an item as a memento of St. Augustine and have it shipped home. Yet the store’s growing local following may be its most meaningful contribution to downtown: an invitation to residents to see the historic district as part of their own everyday shopping life.
Stubblefield looks to other historic cities, including Charleston, Savannah and Nantucket, where tourism and local retail complement one another. St. Augustine, he believes, has room for that same balance—a downtown where visitors can enjoy the city’s history while residents can find the things that help shape a home, set a table and welcome people in.
For locals ready to refresh their entertaining cupboards, build a wedding registry or simply bring home one beautiful piece at a time, Hive & Homestead offers a reason to make downtown part of the plan.
