HoneyBee Sage to Close Third Ward Location, Refocus on Sustainable Growth
Angela Mallett. Photo courtesy of HoneyBee Sage.
MILWAUKEE, WI — September 24, 2026 — HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary will officially close its Third Ward location, bringing an intentional end to what Founder & CEO Angela Mallett describes as an important experiment in the company’s growth journey.
When the opportunity to expand HoneyBee Sage into Milwaukee’s Third Ward presented itself, Mallett saw an opportunity to invest a portion of the company’s Project Pitch It earnings into testing something she had been considering for years: what sustainable expansion could look like for HoneyBee Sage.
“On paper, the opportunity seemed like an easy lift,” Mallett said. “In practice, we learned there were costs that didn’t fit neatly into the spreadsheet.”
The Third Ward location did not perform at the level necessary to justify the continued investment of financial resources, staffing and owner capacity required to sustain it. As HoneyBee Sage navigated staffing transitions and the realities of operating two locations, another lesson became increasingly clear: the company had expanded its footprint faster than it had expanded the infrastructure underneath it.
“Entrepreneurship has taught me that growth and expansion are not always the same thing,” Mallett said. “Sometimes growth looks like opening another location. Sometimes growth looks like having the wisdom to close one.”
HoneyBee Sage will consolidate its focus and resources back to its King Drive flagship while using the experience and data gained through the Third Ward location to inform its future expansion strategy.
The timing coincides with Mallett’s participation in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, where she is developing a comprehensive growth plan for HoneyBee Sage. She enters the program with real-world data and a clearer understanding of the infrastructure, capitalization, staffing model, systems and operational capacity necessary to support sustainable expansion.
“We are closing this location… not the vision,” Mallett said. “When HoneyBee Sage expands again, we intend to be ready for the growth we are asking for.”
HoneyBee Sage’s King Drive location remains open and will continue serving customers through its herbal apothecary, tea café, non-alcoholic beverage offerings, wellness products, educational experiences and community programming.
About HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary
HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary is a Milwaukee-based herbal apothecary, tea café and wellness company founded by Angela Mallett. Through herbs, tea, education, community and intentional experiences, HoneyBee Sage is building a Global Community of Homegrown Healers while advancing its mission of “Elevation without intoxication.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
