Pinterest never works out the way you think it will.
At least, that was Danielle Cantrell's experience when she first began experimenting with bath bombs, going off of what she and her three adult daughters saw online.
"It was an epic fail," Cantrell says laughing.
That was about five years ago. Cantrell, 51, has since perfected her bath bomb recipe and moved on to sugar scrubs, soaps and even shower steamers. In November, she opened her first store in the Tucson Premium Outlets in Marana. Her shop Fizzy Fairy Gifts is one of two locally-owned businesses in that mall. (The other is Splitting Timber Axe Range).
Danielle Cantrell opened Fizzy Fairy Gifts in the Tucson Premium Outlets in Marana Nov. 1, 2018.
Fizzy Fairy Gifts moved into the former Perfumania location, with its stark black-and-white color palette and built-in glass shelving.
It was perfect.
"Upscale and glam — that's kind of what I went for," Cantrell says.
Brightly-colored bath bombs with names like "Glam," "Oatmeal Milk and Honey" and "Lavender Luxury" line the shelves. There are also kid bath bombs shaped like donuts, Christmas trees, unicorn horns and cupcakes. Cantrell makes those with her 9-year-old granddaughter in mind. A lot of them would make great gifts.
Fizzy Fairy Gifts sells bath bombs shaped like donuts and unicorns. Owner Danielle Cantrell's 9-year-old granddaughter is her inspiration for these.
With the exception of the wax at the front of the store, everything is handmade — the bath bombs, the body butters, the lotions, the scrubs, all of it. A lot of what she makes has oils (essential and otherwise) and butters (shea, cocoa and mango), making for some truly fragrant (and moisturizing) products. Prices range between $5 and $10.
With a background in the corporate world, Cantrell's bath bomb journey began as a hobby — and a way to stop spending so much money at Lush.
"It started as a hobby, and then it was, 'We'll make it for the kids. And then for their friends,'" she says. "And then it got bigger and bigger."
She began selling online and attending pop-up events like craft fairs. She makes everything in her home studio in Vail. Right now, Cantrell is using the six-month lease at the outlet mall as a way to try out retail.
"People are so stressed constantly, including myself, that when I started opening this, that was my whole thing," she says. "I wanted relaxation to be the big thing here. Take care of yourself."
