Not only did the town get to enjoy the Fourth of July festivities, but it also welcomed a new business, Wax Apothecary. Driven to create natural hand-crafted goods from candles to soaps and nature-inspired trinkets, Wax Apothecary also cares about where its tins, glassware, wax and packaging are all made right here in the U.S., of course.
The store is filled with antique treasures. Diana Orr, co-owner of Wax Apothecary, said that she “tries to stay away from commercially produced items.” All the display furniture was purchased from Idyllwild antique or second-hand stores.
Orr has been selling candles for 5 years with her husband and co-owner, Michael Taylor. She started selling the rose candles after a make-up artist, when she was a couture designer, wanted to buy some candles after receiving one in a thank you bag Orr always created for the team and models after a couture show. Orr still does some freelance fashion design/consulting, so those days are not entirely behind her.
The online business grew from the initial couture show sales with the creation of the lavender, jasmine and eucalyptus candles. The non-traditional scents such as tobacco, white sage, and patchouli were created a little later. The candle line is available at more than 100 independent retailers throughout the country. This is their first storefront.
One of the many other experiences the store offers is the ability to encapsulate an Idyllwild experience. “I want people to enjoy nature, observe their environment, and encapsulate a memory,” said Orr of the tiny glass bottles available for purchase so locals and tourists can beautifully contain a natural keepsake.
“I want our products to promote overall wellness,” said Orr. “So we created natural healings the old-world way, which is why we chose to use the word ‘apothecary.’”
The wax for the candles is all-natural and biodegradable, 100% vegetable. It is not tested on animals and does not contain animal products, palm wax, petroleum, paraffin or beeswax products. It does not contain pesticides or herbicides, toxic materials, and genetically modified materials.
For every Wax Apothecary candle sold at a retailer, Wax Apothecary plants a tree in California to help restore the damage done by recent wildfires as a reforestation partner with the nonprofit One Tree Planted. The nonprofit organization plants trees around the world with the goal to reforest the planet, one tree at a time.
After Taylor retired from the military, the husband and wife team wanted a location that combined mountain living and art galleries. After years of vacationing on the mountain, the couple decided to move away from the city life and settle in Idyllwild, the perfect balance of the two.
You can visit Wax Apothecary from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday through Sunday at 54870 Pine Crest Ave. next to the Creekstone Inn.
