My Brag Book
This is what people are saying about me and Eclectic by Nature. I would
love to have your comments about my shop or me. Please feel free to email
them to me at tavane@eclecticbynature.com.
March 2003, from Jack S. "Anyway, you have a really amazing groove developing there, and even though I don't know Wicca from yucca, I think there's a lot to be learned, and a lot of false barriers and fears between people that your enterprise can help overcome. So anyway, go! You are so sweet ... we all need to be pulling up light and balance big-time now. Be blessed!!!"
Greensboro News & Record, March 23, 2003 Eclectic By Nature offers something fun for everyone When Tavane Taylor opened Eclectic By Nature on December 18, she felt both proud and excited to offer Greensboro the kind of shop that she herself loves to visit. After three months of business, her excitement has only increased as the shop at 103 E. Market continues to bring customers into her universe. As visitors enter, she offers them a sample of tea. "It's magic tea," she smiles, "Each blend is made in a different phase of the moon and is empowered by incantations." She pauses for a moment. "Okay, it's just herbal tea, but the point is that even the simplest thing can be magical if you want it to be." This concept is the theme uniting each eclectic piece of merchandise found in the shop. From handmade soaps and bath products, to herbs and teas, Eclectic By Nature promises something for everyone. Tavane's own line of soaps and body products feature products like Sun-Kissed Orange, Creamy Cocoa or Peppermint Lip Balms, Citrus Passion or Eucalyptus bath salt bombs and soaps called Creative Spirit and Full Moon Protection. Tavane began the Body Gourmet line with a friend in Redondo Beach, Calif. in 1998. With her uniquely blended bath and body creations, she hopes to offer customers enjoyment and relaxation. Customers will also find handmade eye pillows, essential aromatherapy oils, herbs and countless other products to help ease stress and promote spiritual well being. And if finding a unique gift is the quest, customers will find a gold mine of rare cards, Metaphysical and New Age books and CDs, sterling silver and gemstone jewelry and Goddess, Angel and Faerie gift lines. Custom gift baskets are available and any gift purchase will be wrapped for free. Not only is Eclectic By Nature a cool and unique gift shop, it is also a place to go and learn something or try something new. There are free energy and tarot readings given every Saturday from 11am to 3pm, as well as free classes in herbal aromatherapy, meditation and more. Classes are taught by volunteers and basically anyone who has some kind of training or life experience to offer. Tavane loves to support local artists and crafters and hopes to bring people of similar interests together. "I want the shop to be not just a place where people come to shop but where people come to learn something new and meet new people," she says.
Triad Style, March 26, 2003 The HOT SEAT:Tavane Taylor Homemade Healing by Kate Hudson Behind the counter at Eclectic By Nature, owner Tavane Taylor munched on Buddha's Favorite from West Wind Cafe. Chakra healing chnats blared from a CD in the background as she perkily greeted customers, answered questions, rang up sales and ate lunch. Body Gourmet, the parent company of this little shop on East Market Street, also belongs to Taylor. Started in 1998 by Taylor and a girlfriend in California, the business is now solely hers. She sells soap, lip balm, aromatherapy spray, eye pillows, sachets, bath salts, bath and body oils and even solid massage bars. And she makes it all herself, in her kitchen on her stove, or in her living room on her sewing machine. Taylor's hands are full between the shop and her hand-made products. But if you stop into Eclectic By Nature, you're guaranteed a personal perky greeting, and quick chat, a a nice "You have a great day," on your way out. How did all this start? I became a vegan...I think it just evolved without me being consciously aware of it. Most soap is made with animal fat, and i decided that if I'm not going to eat it, I'm sure as heck not going to smear it all over my body. I started making soap because it was only the way for me to stick to it without going cross-eyed reading labels. So a friend of mine and I bought a book on how to do it and just followed the instructions. What is soap-making like? It's like making a cake, except you can't lick the batter...You start with lye and you when mix it with water, the chemical reaction causes it to heat up. So I cool it down to 110 degrees,and I heat up the oils I'm going to use to 110 degrees and then I mix them together. Then I pour it into the mold, which is just a wooden box with a Saran Wrap lining. It sits there for at least 24 hours, then I dump it out, cut it into bars, and let it sit for about four weeks until the pH level is perfect. How did you learn to do everything else like making the eye pillows and sachets and the other oils and salts? I taught myself how to do everything. I bought books and read, I bought a sweing machine and learned how to work it. It really wasn't all that hard. Why do you recommend all of your hand-made products as opposed to ones you could just buy in any other store? There's enough stuff just mass-produced in this world. There's no heart and soul in any of it, they're just cranking it out. That stuff is made just so some guy can make money. I'm not in it for the money. I'm in it to help out other people with beliefs like mine. What are your beliefs and what do they have to do with your business? It's hard to say, but I wouls say I'm a pagan. I believe in an earth-based religion...in things like [the power of] the Universe and the Earth. I would rather people come in and see me - a put-together girl, with matching outfits, normal hair - than to think that all the other shops with crazy things like Voodoo dolls and black magic are all there is. That's not what it's about at all. What kind of people come into your shop? I have a very eclectic clietele. I get business people, stay-home moms, people in the healing arts, pagans, teenagers...Men - that's what baffled me.I get way more men in here than I ever expected. They buy music, incense and books for themselves but they mostly buy for their girlfriends or wives. We've got these goddess undies. They say things like "Better Than Chocolate," and "Slippery When Wet." I have yet to have a woman buy one for herself. The men buy them all. What kind of feedback do you get from your customers? I don't know if they're just freaks or dead-on, but people tell me that the soaps or the smells make them happy, make them feel something. I'm just happy they like it.
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