Tag Archives: incense

Sep 9

Incense…Hem!

...Hem.Way back in the day when I first started in the business of offering quality incense to the rural public at an economical price, I started with Hem brand incense. Incense does not need to break you in the wallet, as I am of the mind that “it’s the little things in life that bring the most joy”. I discovered incense back in 1970 at the tender age of 14. The only incense available in my small rural town was Satya. Then, around the mid-1980’s, I became aware of a new brand on the market called Hem.  I used both. And I love both still…among others. And, while I have access these days to a plethora of brands that are all very good and some of them my favourites, I still reach for Hem when the mood strikes. Hem is very similar to Satya in the production techniques by the way they roll their sticks. Hem company uses bamboo with charcoal and then dips each stick into fragrant oils. Their cones are a bit better then the sticks, imho, as they burn a little cleaner and have a more clear fragrance, which is normal when comparing an “agarbatti” with a “dhoop” style. ( Loosely translated by yours truly, “Agarbatti” means “incense with a wooden stick” and “dhoop” means “no wood” within the incense itself. fyi. ) These two brands – Satya and Hem – are the two top exporters of incense outside of India to the rest of the world. They make A LOT of incense aka “mega-tons!” – but have never compromised the quality of their brands over the years. ( Watch this blog for a report on Satya brand incense in the very near future! )

Here’s what their official website has to say about the company: “The company has come a long way since its small beginning in 1983. It was set up as a partnership firm by three brothers who were willing to take on the world’s biggest, most famous incense companies operating in India at the time.   Over the course of 30 years, Hem Corporation started manufacturing and exporting to 70 countries and has became India’s leading perfumed incense company with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities located in Mumbai and Bangalore. Driven by its strong consumer-focus and innovative spirit, the company has aimed to be the market leader. Today, it is ranked amongst the best in the branded segment of all other incense companies in India. We manufacture a wide range of incense for our consumers, out of which HEM PRECIOUS RANGE our flagship brand is famous the world over.”

There is no argument that Hem brand incense is high quality and affordable.  Some of my favourite fragrances within this brand is Violet, Oudh, Baby Powder and  Dragon’s Blood.  I use both sticks and cones, and find them to be very reliable and fresh when I purchase them from the company for resale at my little store. So, if you are on a budget, and want the scent experience without the slightly higher “gourmet” price tag, Hem is your best bet!

Until next time…

…Namaste!

Sep 2

Namaste ~ Sleeping Gypsy ~ 2.0 !

Namaste ~ Sleeping GypsyIf you’ve been out to the Market and made a visit to my little store – Namaste ~ Sleeping Gypsy – you will have seen some changes that are hard to ignore! But it’s all good! Let me fill you in…

We have been out at the Daytona Flea Market for 11 years now. We stumbled upon our original store front completely from one part good vibes, one part determination and one part good luck. We settled in and spent many good years at B South 31 & 33. But, as the years rolled by, we began to experience some physical changes with the space. The original roof leaks were becoming more and more of an issue and we managed that well at the time.  But what was increasingly troubling was the state of the flooring in the store. It was literally rotting out, and anyone who has been frequenting our space over the years can attest to that.  (Think roadside fun house and you will have a good idea! ) It was becoming a hazard, for sure! So, after much thought and prayer, we decided to move…but not too far! We moved our operation just across the hallway to B South 36! We decided also to downsize to a single spot instead of a double, for a few reasons: we wanted to be as close to our old spot as possible so that our customers could still find us. But, the most important reason was to be able to keep our prices as low as possible. With the economy being the mess that it has become, everyone has (and is!) experienced a pinch in the pocket. We didn’t want to have to raise our prices! So, instead, we made the changes necessary to keep the lowest prices on the highest quality goods that we could offer to our loyal customers and friends. It is a big change, but not so much. We are still working on settling in and tweaking details day by day, but soon we will be all situated and polished and glowing like a bright shining star! So, please…bear with us…

In the meantime, here are some minor changes that you might wish to take note of…

I am still offering my hand made earrings like always. There are bracelets there, as well. But the prayer beads, malas, Buddha necklaces, gemstone necklaces and pendulums will be offered on my Etsy store for now. The prices are still the same and the shipping is free! Feel free to head over there at *NamasteBeadWorkz* and check it out to see if there is anything that tickles your fancy! If you are local and/or planning on visiting the area, I can bring whatever you are interested in out to the store so that you can see it and in person without having to deal with online shopping, if that option is more practical or appealing to you. Just message me, text me or call me and let me know what you wish to see and we can make arrangements to connect easily out at the store. Easy peasy!

Also, I am still carrying everything that I had in-store by way of incense, dream catchers, sun catchers, hand made earrings, bracelets, tote bags, smudges, resins and burners, but with some minor changes. The big expensive burners will be sold out and no longer available except by special order. They will be replaced with smaller and more versatile burners that are much more practical and budget friendly. I will no longer be carrying sarongs, as there is no room for them. We still have and offer all the incense we carried before the move – a full line of WildBerry, Satya Nag Champa, Hem, Kamini,  and some Ramakrishnananda resins from Prabuji’s Gifts. And, as always, we can do any special order that you need. Just let us know and we will see what we can do to get you the best deal on things that are hard to find but make you happy!

In the meantime, we are standing strong and refusing to let minor issues set us back. It’s the little things in life that are the most meaningful and by keeping things simple and positive, we can weather any storm…big or small. With that being said…

…we wish you a most beautiful day and a happy start to the fall season!

Until next time…

…Namaste!

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!