Queen Bee & Co.'s owner, Heather Marie Van Cleave, was crowned Miss Virginia for America in May of 2021.  It was the first pageant she ever competed in.  She went on to win Miss Fitness at the national Miss for America competition in Las Vegas in November.  

She is a fashion infused mental health & domestic violence advocate who travels globally as a motivational speaker to try and remove the stigmas surrounding her platform and help others overcome.  She spent her summers in England as a child where her father was an actor on the West End.  She and her sister learned about tea time from her English side of the family.  She has a love for tea and all things European and shares her love for tea time and hospitality with her guests.

She and her daughters were frequent guests for years at Simply Tea, the original tea room started in Amelia, VA by Beth Stanley, who sold the tea room to Tara Gardner in 2019 when it was relocated to downtown Richmond.  When hearing that the tea room was going to have to close down, Heather decided to create a hospitality collaboration as a way to purchase, rebrand and transform the tea room into a more versatile café and venue. This half country girl, half city girl is a Jane of all trades.  She has been in hospitality event planning, property & operations management for over 20 years along with interior design, modeling, acting, hosting radio and television talk shows and raising her children as a single parent and survivor of domestic violence.  She uses her gifts and talents to be a voice to help & encourage others and make a difference in the world. You can follow her on all social media platforms at Heather Marie Speaks.