My successes.

In 1999, husband and wife team, Jim Dowd and Sandra Bonozoli, created Beehive Handmade in a tiny studio inside their home. Jim had been focusing on selling his large metal sculptures and Sandra on selling her one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.

They were brought together by their love of metalsmithing, working with their hands and a desire to make functional items with beauty and meaning. They shared the vision that art can be useful and be part of our everyday lives at home. Jim and Sandra were inspired by old kitchenware and asked if objects can be both beautiful and functional.

Rooted in the American tradition of the studio craft movement, Beehive Handmade creates thoughtfully designed, handcrafted metalwork inspired by the past but at home in the present. For the past 25 years, they have been successful at keeping the craft of fine metalwork alive in the great state of Rhode Island.

Beehive Handmade has grown a great deal from the first show, where they successfully sold spoons. With sales growing year over year, they now occupy a 2000 square foot factory and showroom, selling thousands of pieces annually. Further, they employ four full-time employees. Sticking to their original vision, each piece still begins as a handmade original model in brass, which is then molded and casted.

The product collections are focused on keepsake baby products, holiday ornaments, jewelry, kitchenware and ceramics. All items are designed and handcrafted from high-quality metals and manufactured in Warren, Rhode Island. Jim and Sandra both have Master's Degrees in Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

Both Sandra and Jim give back to the community. They are involved in events focusing on small business growth as well as making donations to local schools. Beehive Handmade is also a contributor to the annual auction for the benefit of the World Central Kitchen.

“Winning the 2025 Joseph Knight Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence is a wonderful and well-deserved addition to the long list of accolades earned by Sandra, Jim and the entire Beehive Handmade Team over the years. Getting to know them, appreciating their story of hard work and absolute dedication to their mission has been my honor”. Deborah Pannullo, Certified Business Mentor, SCORE Rhode Island.