Bushel & Bee Taproom

Bushel & Bee Taproom owner Kayla Applebay admits that on opening day, she still wasn’t sure how to tap a keg. In fact, she had never managed a bar or even launched a business. Yet eight years later, her taproom and bottleshop is a community fixture – built on instinct, determination, support, and a little ADHD.

Bushel & Bee started with an idea back in 2016, when Applebay was visiting her sister and searching for her next move. For most of her adult life, Applebay had worked in the outdoor industry, from river guiding to leading backpacking trips, as well as working as an environmental health specialist. 

“We were doing some wine tasting here in Leavenworth, and I was like, ‘Oh, I can't believe there's nowhere that's more cider specific. It's the apple capital of the world,’” said Applebay. 

She started mulling over the idea of opening a taproom herself. A week later, she found herself at dinner with an interested investor – a moment that confirmed that her idea was a good one.

“I pitched the idea, and he was like, ‘Honestly, that sounds great. I would love to read your business plan,” said Applebay. “I was like, ‘Great. I'll send that over to you,’ and I literally went home and Googled how to write a business plan.”

Applebay credits the existence of Bushel & Bee in large part to her ADHD. Where she lacked in knowledge and experience, she made up for in hyper focus.

“It was just full steam ahead, like I'm going to hyper focus on this instead of getting stuck [thinking] ‘Oh, should I do this? Can I do this?’ And asking other people who are going to tell you, ‘Well, I don't know. Maybe you should work at a bar for a year or two first,’’ said Applebay.

That summer, Applebay immersed herself in research and drafting a business plan – often bringing her paperwork along on river trips, where she’d find herself chasing loose pages down the beach. She attended cider festivals, followed beer forums, and spoke to every person she could.

“When you find something really interesting, for me anyway, it's a lot easier to just absorb all that information and retain it,” said Applebay.

To launch the business, she needed to raise about $120,000, which was a surprisingly challenging amount; most of the advice she found was focused on tech startups needing millions of dollars, and a bar was considered too high a risk for conventional small business loans. And as she waded through her options, she quickly realized not all advice was worth taking.

What carried her through, she recalls, was confidence and clarity in her vision, and a little help from “Limited Liability Companies For Dummies.” She started piecing things together herself, raising money from a handful of smaller investors, some of which were part of her community.

With funding secured, she set out to create an inclusive, community-minded space for locals – and their dogs – to hang out, play games, and participate in a number of locally-geared events, such as Lit Mic or Tipsy Talks. 

Applebay acknowledges that, like every business in Leavenworth, Bushel & Bee relies on tourism to keep it sustainable – but rather than seeing locals and visitors as mutually exclusive, she has found a way to welcome tourists into the local experience.

“Oftentimes we find tourists will come into town…and pretty soon, they end up at Bushel & Bee everyday of their vacation, so we end up calling them “mini locals,” said Applebay, adding that the bartenders often extend the local’s discount to those honorary members. “I think that is a huge piece of really winning tourist loyalty as well.”

Nearly a decade later, Applebay has transformed from a novice entrepreneur to owning a successful bar and bottleshop, collaborating with community partners, becoming Chamber of Commerce Board President, and serving on a city committee.

And while she credits her ADHD for helping her power through those preliminary hurdles, she also recognizes its limits, like losing interest or getting pulled in too many directions. That awareness helped her lean on others, from interior and graphic design experts, to a trusted bookkeeper, to employees who share her commitment and keep the business moving forward. For Applebay, this network has been the key to Bushel & Bee’s long-term success.

“That's probably one of the biggest pieces of advice too, is surround yourself with people that are better than you and that care,” said Applebay.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media