A Little Bit
0’ Faerie Magic!
If you can
get to the ‘One of a Kind’ show in Toronto (which runs from November 22nd
– December 2nd, we would invite you to visit our friends, Sarah and
Alan, who will be running booth number B49 – The Sugar Bush Fairies. We are
currently house/pet sitting for them so that they could be present at this
amazing annual show.
Their story
is one that will make you believe in magic!
Back in 2007,
we met Alan and Sarah while we were attending a Spiritualist Church in Orillia,
Ontario. They both met each other at the same place. Coincidentally, they had both embraced the philosophy
behind the Law of Attraction, and started to visualize a life-long partner for
themselves. We were there to watch them being drawn towards each other, and to enjoy
spending time with them in their new life together as a couple, which began the
following year, 2008.
They moved
into a lovely home in Sugar Bush, just north of Barrie. Knowing them to be fans
of the whimsical, and as very gentle, spiritual people, we presented them with
a house-warming gift which Mark had found in a gift catalogue. It was a fairy
door, which they could put in their garden.
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| The original fairy door that we gave to them as a housewarming gift |
At this
point, they had not been finding fulfillment
in their employment – Alan as furniture designer, and Sarah as an educational
assistant. They were inspired by the idea of the fairy door, and did some
research, finding that there was one person making and distributing them in the
U.S.A. They realized that there was an opportunity here, and so, being
entrepreneurs, they decided to produce their own line of fairy doors on a
part-time basis. Each unique door would be handcrafted in wood, and personally designed. Working together as a team, they found success beyond their
imagination. So much so, that (once again, utilizing the principles of the Law
of Attraction) they decided to quit their jobs and move into the home-based
business on a full-time basis. The results have been astounding.
Back in 2011,
they decided to get married, and we were honoured to be a part of their
wedding. Mark sang a version of the song, ‘Somebody’ (by Depeche Mode), and I
accompanied him on acoustic guitar. It was a fun event, and it was a delight to
see a couple so much in love, and to be taken up into that experience.
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| Mark singing at their wedding, with me accompanying on acoustic guitar |
Our paths
didn’t cross very often over the next few years as life took us in different
directions. We always kept in touch via social media, and would occasionally
meet with them, and other friends, at a restaurant. We had also purchased a
couple of doors for ourselves, which we keep in our display case at home.
In 2015, we
were doing a house/pet sit for some friends in Peterborough, Ontario. During
this time, we took a trip to Warkworth – a small town we had not visited
before. It was a surprise to us that, in one of the gift stores, we came across
a display of fairy doors from Sugar Bush Fairies!!!
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| Display in Cheeky Bee's Gift Shop, Warkworth, Ontario |
We immediately contacted
Sarah and Alan and told them what we had found, and they informed us that they
had over 70 outlets in North America – and shipped all over the world! We had
no idea just how successful they had become! In fact, their success was so
great, that they were thinking of expanding. However, the cost of such
expansion, in Ontario, was not an attractive one; so, they moved to Digby, Nova
Scotia, in October, last year. (They had been to the province several times,
and liked what they saw – especially the more ‘laid-back’ environment, which
suited their personalities – and their business – more appropriately).
Earlier this
year, we were acting as tour guides for our friends from Vermont, and we
delighted in showing them the beauty of the shores of Lake Superior. As part of
our ‘tour’, we took them into the Agawa Crafts and Canadian Carver, a unique
gift shop near Pancake Bay. To our delight, we discovered a display from Sugar
Bush Fairies, and were smitten by a design of a British Telephone Kiosk. We
bought it to add to our collection.
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| Announcement of a new design |
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| Our new purchase, in August of this year |
Another
interesting anecdote: back in March, this year, we were doing another house/pet
sit for the same friends in Peterborough, and we had invited friends over for a
meal. (We had obtained permission to do this, of course!) Neil and Helena were
asking about our plans for the rest of the year and we told them about our
house/pet sit in Nova Scotia. We also shared the story of how Alan and Sarah
had started their business. Helena blew us away when she said that, only the
day before, Neil (who does carpentry as a hobby) had been asked, by one of his
friends, if he would be willing to make a jewelry box as a gift to his wife for
their 50th anniversary. He told Neil that he was going to order some
fairy doors from a business in Nova Scotia. Sure enough, it was from Alan and
Sarah that this purchase was going to be made! We were all gobsmacked by that
coincidence! (It should be added that Neil is also an excellent craftsman - as you can see from the finished product below).
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| Jewelry box fashioned by Neil, using the fairy doors |
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| Other side of Jewelry box |
When we
arrived here, a week ago, they were both extremely busy getting ready for the
One of a Kind show. They have transformed their basement into a
studio/workshop, and have an office on the ground floor. They kindly showed us
the workshop and we were amazed at the amount of time and work that goes into
every fairy door production.
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| Wooden slats and basic door shapes made from templates |
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| Part of the workshop in the basement |
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| Tools for the job! |
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| Sanding machines |
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| Paints that Sarah uses to decorate the doors |
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| Some door ready for mounting |
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| Doors being attached to their frames |
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| Every box has to be made up and printed |
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| Boxes ready to be filled |
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| Shipment ready! |
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| The happy couple doing what they love most! |
We were also in admiration of the efficiency with
which they run their business, from the original order through to the delivery.
Even on the way to Toronto, they were busy at each hotel stop, putting
finishing touches on their products, ready for the show! Their dedication and
sheer hard work is obvious – as is their total enjoyment with what they are
doing.
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| Alan, still prepping for the show at their hotel in Cornwall, Ontario |
They have spent the last two days getting their booth ready.
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| Arriving at their allotted booth space |
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| Setting out the booh |
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| Background covering |
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| Creating the environment |
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| Nearly there... |
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| This is what their booth looked like last year. They told us that it will be similar this year, so you'll easily recognize it |
One of the designs I have seen in their catalogue, is the Dr. Who Tardis Fairy Door. I am hoping that Mark will allow me to get one of these!
They also have a line of doors for Harry Potter fans, as well as a series based on the Hobbit stories.
We are
thrilled to have been a small part of this success story, and we know that they
are going to have a huge success in Toronto. This will be the fifth time that
they will be hosting a booth at this event.
If you are
able to attend this show, visit them at Booth B49. Be sure to mention us, and say hi to them from us!
Here are some links that give more information about Sugar Bush Fairies:
e-mail address: sugarbushfairies@yahoo.ca
