At The Magical Bee, beeswax is a key ingredient
Nov. 2—Dan and James Carter decided to name their business The Magical Bee to honor a creature that benefits the world around it.
"'The Magical Bee' is kind of like, everything the bee does is really valuable," James Carter said.
Beeswax is a major ingredient for the couple, who create all-natural candles, soaps and other body products from their home studio.
After spending the past few years building a customer base online and at local farmers' markets, they have opened a downtown storefront. They also own Luna Acupuncture & Wellness, with locations on Marine Drive and in Hillsboro.
The couple began experimenting with a block of beeswax back in 2019 and — following trial and error — created all-natural recipes for their candles and bath products.
They set out to find a location, but the coronavirus pandemic interrupted their search and caused them to pivot to online sales.
Earlier this year, they happened to drive by a storefront on 12th Street that was being used for storage. They called the owner to ask if he was interested in having their business move in. He was.
"We took it on the spot. We were so excited," James Carter said.
After a few months of renovations, the store has neat rows of wooden shelves to house handmade crystal, apothecary and essential oil candles. They also sell bath salts, hair and skin care products and plan to introduce a line of teas.
Many of their ingredients are sourced in Oregon, including some a short walk away in their home garden.
"We are a totally vegetarian business. We're vegetarians and that's really important to us that we have a business that's all humane and cruelty-free. We don't want any negative impact on what we do to the environment," James Carter said.
At their home studio, Dan Carter crafts the products using an alembic, which is a "medieval looking" tool that distills hydrosol and essential oils.
Along with the organic products, customers can expect regular appearances from their 7-year-old parrot, Madame Star, who dislikes being home alone.
The pair said they are looking forward to being more involved in the community and art scene, and plan to offer bookings for people to watch the soap and candle-making process in their studio.
The community, they said, was one of the main reasons they chose to move to Astoria three years ago.
"We came here and we got so much love just walking down the street. Like people were so nice to us. They went out of their way to be nice to us," James Carter said. "I've never been to a little city like this. We kind of fell in love with it."
Dan Carter agreed.
"There was just something really magical in the air when we first moved here. We saw rainbow flags, we just felt really welcomed here. And then also on top of that, we saw the potential to add art, and our candles, to Astoria," he said.
