Release Date: March 16, 2018

Magic Fairy Candles - not just candles!

Crossing the threshold of Magic Fairy Candles store in downtown Longmont is a teleportational experience – at least it is if you follow your nose. Fairies, and by extension, Magic Fairy Candles, come to take you out of the duller world and ride upon the wind, as Yeats would say. Indeed, the store is a kind of playground of sights, scents, sounds, and maybe a few secrets that allows you to leave the modern assault on the senses outside. It’s a different, more magical world inside the small, intimate shop, inviting you to take in the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere and exhale the cares of the day. All of it is carefully curated by a dedicated knowledgable staff, led by Lisa Patchem.

The apothecary and specialty store is an eclectic mix of therapeutic and the novel in terms of merchandise. But, as the store’s name suggests, the candles are appropriately the centerpiece of the product line and have been for many years.

Read on to find out more about how Magic Fairy puts the magic in each and every candle, a few items on the shelves you might not expect (hint: Neat? A splash? On the rocks?), and how Lisa surprises some first time customers by pouring wax onto her hands – and why you should, too (but only Magic Fairy ones).

Tell me about your name: Magic Fairy Candles. Where does that come from?

Lisa: Kim Sorden started Magic Fairy Candles and she asked her then five year old daughter what to call it. She said ‘Magic Fairy’ and that was what it was called and it stuck.

What do you get the most response out of, product-wise? Or do you have a favorite line yourself?

Lisa: Our Intentional Life line of candles is really resonating with our clients. They are vessels for awareness. Products that you use to be more mindful with your day. We have a mediation candle, for example, where you stop for ten seconds, light a candle, take a breath, and reconnect with the present. It’s a cool candle to give you an excuse to just have a moment.

Do you have a favorite customer-experience story?

Lisa: Not specifically, but generally, when I tell people about how the candles are not just candles – that because they are all natural ingredients, they melt into all natural lotion. And they look at me skeptically, but then I take the molten wax and rub it into my hands. It’s not hot. It’s full of proteins and it’s good for the skin. The reaction is, I didn’t even know I needed this. I now I have to have it.

When people come in for the first time their reaction is ‘Cool. Candles.’ But when they actually learn more about what the candles are and what goes in them, it’s special.

You’re much more than a typical ‘candle store.’ Some of the product in the store is a little edgy. Talk about that a bit.

Lisa: One customer called it spicy. When you create a gift store, you have to curate the inventory. Everything in the store is a reflection of my personality. So, some might say I’m spicy. I like that it reaches their sense of humor. It is a disruption. And it disrupts the complacency of the day.

When shopping for a special gift for a male friend or companion, Magic Fairy Candle might not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet things that would have great appeal to male clientele.

Lisa: Our demographic is not specifically male, or female, but males do come in to shop for the people in their lives. And we want things in here that create some interest in them. Or surprise.

Like the great barware?

Lisa: Yes. But women drink whiskey, too. (Laughs).

Fair point, well taken. So how do you choose that inventory for your store?

Lisa: We like to work with merchants who have a broader read and mission for the world. Giving back to the community – Doctors Without Borders, animal rescure groups. We look for partners that create a quality product but that have an enlightened perspective on their place in the world with what they do.

Why downtown? Why Longmont? What is it about downtown that’s made it a special place for Magic Fairy?

Lisa: The growth has been exponential in downtown over the past few years. It’s the pulse of Longmont. We get a lot of first time customers through the door just because of the foot traffic that being downtown brings us. The Longmont Downtown Development Authority has been incredible. And when someone says Longmont, I don’t think of anyplace else other than downtown. I live in old town. I get to walk to work. It’s a safe, creative environment. I feel part of a larger family.

What’s special about shopping at Magic Fairy Candles?

Lisa: It’s exploratory. You can always find new things here. Downtown, too. I am always recommending other things. Coming to downtown and shopping creates an itinerary. Like a trip.

Or an adventure.

Lisa: (Laughs). It can be. In a good way.

What is something you wish people knew about your store that maybe they’re not aware of?

Lisa: We want to have a positive impact people’s everyday lives. And through that, also have a broader positive impact on the world. It’s not about getting ‘stuff.’ We have funny gifts and we have stuff that reaches people. But it’s mostly about creating things that help you be more mindful of your day.

Over the holidays, you had some candles-for-a-cause products. What were those?

Lisa: Portions of sales of our local Longmont candle lines go to local charities. The Our Center benefits from one, the Old Firehouse Arts Center benefits from one. Willow Farms is a beneficiary.

What else should people know about Magic Fairy?

Magic Fairy Candles is located at 634 Main Street, Longmont. They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Reach them at (720) 771-0359 or info@magicfairycandles.com. You can find them on facebook and Instagram at magicfairycandles; Twitter and Pinterest at magiccandles.

Magic Fairy Candles are handcrafted in Longmont, Colorado, using silken soy wax, cotton wicks, and organic essential oils. Much more than just an everyday candle, Magic Fairy candles waxes remain at temperature of just 3 degrees above body temperature. The soy wax remains nutrient rich and applicable as a moisturizer and massage ointment.