Sep 17

Incense…WildBerry.

Since a very young age, I have been burning incense. My earliest memory was from the late 1960’s. Sometimes after school, I would take a bus downtown and hang out at this quaint little outdoor mall. In that mall was a cool little head shop. Every time I would walk by, I was distracted by a beautiful exotic aroma that would be drifting out onto the mall.  I just had to go in and check it out. This store was amazing to my fourteen-year-old mind. Books, dayglow posters, smoking things, tarot decks, beaded curtains, music tapes, amazing jewelry, cool clothing, you name it, they had it. But what I was really searching for was the origin of that beautiful scent that was floating in the air. Incense. Nag Champa, to be exact. Had to have it. I took some home…the start of a beautiful life-long adventure.

The history of incense is long and storied. It has been in existence for 1000’s of years, burned for many reasons by almost every culture and religion that has ever existed. For those interested in finding out the full story and history of this fascinating practice, please visit * Burnt Beech * for more information.

When my husband, John, and I first met back in the mid-1990’s out in Los Angeles, California, we toyed with the idea of starting a small business. We had many good ideas, but our ambitions kept gravitating towards something we both loved…incense.

We started out small, devoting our weekends to attending local faires and gatherings as a vendor where incense and other eclectic and spiritual gifts and sundries would be welcome. It didn’t take long for us to acquire a following that soon became regular customers and friends. Soon, we decided to take our endeavor one step further, and that is when we decided to do flea markets. For a while we tried to do the faires and the markets simultaneously, but after a while it became too much of a handful, what with John having full time job and myself not willing to do one or the other on my own. Then comes the lockdowns and other happenings, so we let the faires go, devoting all of our spare time to the market adventure.

Throughout our incense journey, I am asked so many questions about incense and similar things. First and foremost, I only carry brands that I know and trust to be of the best quality and produced by companies that have the best intentions of everyone and everything at heart. I personally test and burn everything I am considering selling, as I feel that if it isn’t good enough for me, then it certainly isn’t good enough for our customers. A common story is how they pick up some cheaper brands or bulk brands, only to get home, light them up and what they thought was lilac or frankincense in actuality turns out to smell like rotten cabbage, dirty socks or worse! (ewww  ) Who has time for that? Not me. Not you. And so, we personally guarantee everything that we sell. Period.

Our best seller * WildBerry Incense * is by far one of the best brands available. The Wild Berry, an Oxford, Ohio icon, was founded in 1971. So, if you are looking for “Made in USA” this is your brand. We carry every scent that they make and guarantee the freshness of each and every stick. We have all sizes – Minis, Regular and Biggies. Minis burn for approximately 20 minutes and are perfect for the bathroom, or any time that you want to burn a little something, but don’t want to commit to a long time because of time constraints or duration of scent. The Regular size is the classic length and burns for a half hour to 40 minutes. This size is my favourite. What I like to do is put about 10 or so sticks in a small shooter glass or little vase. I set this in the living room just open and unburning. The scent of the incense is so fresh, that it perfumes the air without even lighting it up! (If you’ve been to my store, then you know what I mean.) WildBerry is so good, if you burn it in the morning, then leave for work or to do errands or go visit with friends, when you get back the house still smells fabulous! I love that. And then there are the Biggies! Huge and potent, these whoppers will burn for about 4-5 hours straight! What I like to do is to take a large vase, fill it with sand and use that for a burner for these big guys. This method is perfect, as you can burn for however long you wish, then turn it over and stick it into the sand, saving the rest of the stick for burning later. A very economical way to burn. We also carry the WildBerry backflow cones, for those who like to burn this style known for the fascinating special effects. These are not your average backflow cones. These cones are HUGE! Super fresh, they burn for a long time for extra enjoyment, beautiful fragrance and a prolonged special effect. Once you burn these, you will never go back to the cheapies. Whatever your burning style or fragrance preferences, we carry the whole line of WildBerry incense for your burning pleasure.

Thank you for entertaining me by coming by to visit my blog! This is Part 1 of a little series that I am going to be doing on incense and it’s various stories, brands, flavours and trivia. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Oh! Before I forget…

>>-> Mention this blog post and receive 10 free sticks of Mini WildBerry incense as a gift from us! Just come into the store and say “Hey! I read your blog post about WildBerry Incense!” to receive your free gift. No purchase necessary! 

Until next time…

…Namaste!

 

Sep 10

Welcome Fall!

Fall is Here!

Fall Season is Finally Here!

I am SO ready for fall! I love summer with it’s beach vibe and warmth, the summer holidays and the balmy rains. But autumn time is my favourite season for so many reasons, too numerous to list. The temps are slowly falling and finally the fall growing season begins. How I miss my garden! I am ready to get my hands into the dirt and grow things! YaY!

As many of you know, the economy has been in decline making it very hard for folks to have extra money to spend on little pleasures. This last year has been the slowest and leanest ever for small businesses the world over. We understand that spare money is so very precious and hard to come by. That is why I want to take this opportunity to say *THANK YOU* to all of our loyal customers who have braved the hot weather to come by and say Hello! and maybe splurge on a little something that gives them and their families a little bit of happiness and peace. That is why I am so proud to say that in the face of it all, we here at Sleeping Gypsy have not raised our prices in the 10+ years and do not plan to do so in any foreseeable future. We have the best deals and the widest selection of incense to be found anywhere in this area of the state of Florida – maybe in the whole state! Our wonderful customers are what make our little store a success and for that John and I will be forever grateful.

Early on in the beginning of the summer, we decided to close on Fridays, as the market has been very slow on these days and the weather so oppressively hot. Also, John has started a new job that requires a vehicle on that day for work, so we both decided, with all things considered, that at least for summer, we would be operating on a two day weekend until now. That being said,  Starting the first weekend of October, we will be back on Fridays, making for a full three day weekend once again. If ever you are wondering where we are, just give a call or drop a text. We can answer all of your questions with ease.

Hoping that everyone has had a beautiful summer and are looking forward to a marvelous fall season! Thank you again and see you soon!

Dec 4

‘Tis the Season!

Have a Hare Krsna Christmas! Christmas time is here again! This year seems to be just a little bit more of a challenge for a lot of folks, given the state of the economy and all the cRaZiNeSs going on in the world today. I try not to let it all throw me off too much. So important to keep the focus on peace, love and helping others out.

In that light, I am having a special discount for the Holiday Season! Simply mention in store at check out that you saw this post to receive 30% off your entire purchase!

This offer will be running from now until December 31st, 2023. Watch this space for a New Years Special as well!

Thank you so much for your patronage! It has been a challenging year for small business and everything helps us to stay afloat! Come out to the market for awesome deals and a fun shopping experience! Looking forward to seeing you soon! Hare Krsna!

Aug 7

Yes, it is true! I love Florida! Yes, it is as hot as walking on the Sun in the summertime, but that is why God invented air conditioning because he loves us and wants us to be happy!

I was born and raised in Michigan where the summers are mild and the winters are downright brutal. When I moved out to California back in the mid 1990’s, I was amazed at how warm it was there. I remember i moved out there in the late fall. I landed at LAX in long pants and sleeves and was just so hot! Then, many years later, dear hubby and I moved to Michigan for a spell to take care of some family business on my end. We stayed there for almost 5 years, but it was just so darned cold we just could not stand it any longer, so we set our sights on Florida! The best move we have ever made. True, it took a few years to get adjusted to the temperatures, especially in the summer months, but it didn’t take long. true, there are things that I miss about both states, but I did try to “go back” and it seems that nothing is ever the same. You just cannot go back. That being said, we have thought about moving again. Tennessee or South Carolina or even North Carolina or Georgia. But if I cannot live by the sea, then it just isn’t for me.

Living about 2 miles from the Atlantic ocean is about as good as life can get. Going to the beach is my church! Between the beautiful trees, the variety of birds and the proximity to the ocean, Florida is a paradise I won’t soon leave. I urge anyone who wonders about this place to come on down and check it out! You will be so glad that you did!

Jul 26

Hello world!

After many years with WordPress, I decided with the latest update to wipe everything and start fresh! i hope to journal all sorts of things going on in life and hope to be able to connect with like minded people who share the same experiences, values and love for life that I do! Wiping my previous blog which I started back in 2008 was quite a thing. I realized that, with the times, I had changed and holding onto the past stuff was holding me back in so many ways. Starting fresh is refreshing and gives a sense of moving forward with confidence and style. I tell by customers that dragging around the past uses up valuable energy that could be put to better use with living life in the moment right now! So, after some thought, I decided to take the plunge and so here we are!

Thank you so much for stopping by! i hope to be able to write often and hope that you not only enjoy this little blog, but can somehow connect and even share on this blog as well!

Hare Krsna!