By Crysta Coburn
Erin Berger and the Bookend Candle Co.
“I have always loved reading, collecting books, and visiting libraries. There’s nothing like immersing yourself in a good book,” said Erin Berger, the woman behind Ypsilanti-based Bookend Candle Co. You and me both, friend!
Originally from Garden City, Berger attended grad school at Eastern Michigan University, where she “grew to love Ypsilanti, especially the (surprisingly affordable) old houses.” The year following completing her master’s degree in historic preservation, she bought her home in the Historic District. As for starting her own home-based candle business, she said, “I remember attending DIYpsi in the summer of 2017 and thinking about how amazing the artists were and what in the world could I create to take part in the event. Later that year, I decided to start what would become Bookend Candle Co.”
Berger is a self-taught candlemaker. “I learned through trial and error and many nights spent in deep dives on candle-making forums,” she said. “But the best part is that for every candle that doesn’t make the cut, I still get to burn it myself.” Deciding on a name was difficult, she said, “until [she] looked around at [her] collection of candles interspersed throughout the shelves and stacks of books” of her home. “Most were functioning as impromptu bookends. And that was it; Bookend Candle Co. had a name.”
Her candles are 100% soy made without dyes or phthalates. “I do my best to offer the highest quality product in terms of performance, safety, and sustainability,” Berger explained. “I have asthma myself and don’t want to be breathing in harmful chemicals. I would never sell a product that is not up to my own standards, so I use as natural components as possible and buy from vendors I trust. Our tagline is ‘realistically scented and ethically made,’ and I take that to heart.”
Some of the scents in the Signature Collection are Breathe Easy (scent notes: camphor, eucalyptus, and mint), Rare Book Room (scent notes: cedarwood, leather, and vanilla), and Mountainside Cabin (scent notes: balsam, cedar, and wood-burning fireplace). There is also a Spring and Summer Collection with names like Spring Meadow, Kitchen Garden, and Seaside Cottage. If you are in a situation where you can’t burn candles, there are also wax melts and reed diffusers.
All of these names evoke in me a sense of comfort and relaxation. Berger shared that one thing that inspires her business is “being able to provide people with a sense of comfort and happiness through scent.” She went on to say, “My goal is to transport you to a different place or time. Hearing one of my candles reminds someone of time spent as a child with a grandparent no longer with them makes it all worth it.”
For more information and a list of shops that carry Bookend Candle Co. products, visit www.bookendcandleco.com. Bergen can be contacted at erin@bookendcandleco.com or via Instagram @bookendcandleco.
Lyanna Bennett and Mystic Creations
Lyanna Bennett has moved around a lot in her life, but she is putting down roots in Ann Arbor. She told me, “I fell in love with Ann Arbor after spending a lot of time here in my early 20s and finally decided to settle in one place.” And her specialties certainly fit right in with our community.
“I first discovered mysticism when I was 12 years old,” she shared with me. “I was fascinated by the supernatural nature of it. Spells and potions and magickal beings were what drew me in, but it brought me to the concept of natural healing, herbalism, and spiritual guidance, which is what led me toward the path I am on today … offering services to the community reading tarot, runes, and tea leaves, as well as offering advice on alternative healing methods.” Bennett is mostly self-taught, but, she said, “I did go to college to learn more about plants and the human body in order to know more about how natural medicine works.”
The drive to help people is what inspires her. “I have always been drawn to serve others,” she said. “I was a home health aid for many years, I have always worked in some sort of customer service industry, and I even thought about going into the military to be a medic.” Bennett is also motivated to make her spiritual practices a central part of her life. “I do think we all find the path that we are meant to be on,” she said.
The name Mystical Creations came to Bennett one day after working for a metaphysical store in Lansing. In addition to offering private readings, Bennett plans to soon add “online courses ... covering everything from the basics of witchcraft to divination techniques, properties of herbalism, advanced magick, the philosophy of magick, and many more.”
Right now, you can find Bennet offering tarot cards and runic divination readings at Evenstar’s Chalice in Ypsilanti.
To make an appointment, visit facebook.com/lyannabennett.mystic or call (734) 680-2707. For in-person readings, visit Evenstar’s Chalice in Ypsilanti on Thursdays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. or Saturdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Appointments can also be scheduled by calling Evenstar’s Chalice at (734) 905-7980.
Drew Hill and The Drewbie’s Zoo
“I am all about fun,” said Ann Arbor native Drew Hill. “I try to find a little fun and whimsy in everything I do, and since starting Drewbie’s Zoo, my goal has been to share that with others.”
Hill attended Pioneer High School then studied Costume Design at the University of Michigan. “Since graduating college,” he said, “I’ve lived in Chicago and Los Angeles, but Ann Arbor keeps calling me back. It’s such an amazing city to live in, and it’s great to be close to my family.”
It was Hill’s grandmother who taught him how to knit when he was ten years old. “I became obsessed!” he said. “I knit on and off all the way through middle school and high school. When I was in my last year at Pioneer, I started a small club for knitting and yarn crafts, and it was at this time that I first picked up a crochet hook. I taught myself from a book and was amazed at the artistic freedom that crochet offers.”
When a good friend from high school and his wife were expecting their first child, Hill first tried his hand at amigurumi, the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and other anthropomorphic creatures, which make up the bulk of Drewbie’s Zoo.
Where did the name Drewbie’s Zoo come from? “It wasn’t until I opened an Etsy shop that I realized I would need some sort of business name, which was surprisingly difficult,” Hill said. “I wanted it to have something to do with animals and to be a little whimsical. I toyed around with a lot of different ideas, but I settled on Drewbie’s Zoo because it was the most fun to say out loud!”
Looking through Hill’s Instagram, there is no denying his talent or the cuteness of his clever creations. Said Hill, “Sometimes you just need something cute or punny or beautiful to make you smile, and providing that for others definitely makes me smile!” Some of my personal favorites are the adorable little dragons, smiling tea cups and coffee mugs, the cast of the Lion King, and Luna from Sailor Moon (I grew up in the 90s). But, they all make me smile! And how inspiring for a young person to have a plush Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Rosie the Riveter?
If you have an idea in mind, but don’t see it in the shop, worry not because Hill takes special orders. He explained, “One of the best parts about running a small business is that I can provide something completely unique, whether it’s your favorite animal, character, or even a replica of your pet!”
For more information, visit drewbieszoo.etsy.com or instagram.com/drewbieszoo. Hill can be contacted through Etsy or at drewbieszoo@gmail.com.
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