Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Angie Whelan, and my business, YB Urban? Aromatherapy + Wellness, strives to create healthy alternatives to commercially produced personal care items that people are using everyday. By combining my knowledge of plants, essential oils, and natural ingredients, I have been able to formulate recipes that range from lotion and lip balm, to specialty skin care for different skin types, hair care, men's care, and other seasonal items.
What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
Our customers love that we small batch our items so they are as fresh as they can be when they are purchased. We don't need to use excessive chemical preservatives because we are selling direct to our customers and aren't using warehouses for long storage. We source high-quality ingredients from other family-owned businesses, ask all the right questions, and can provide detailed information about how our products are made. All of this combined makes for a healthier product that is as or more effective than commercial products.
Is this a full-time business for you?
I work full-time in my business so that I can give it 100% of my energy.
Why did you start working in this field?
I have been studying and using essential oils for over 20 years and am aware of their power to support wellness in our lives. I have watched a number of family and friends lead unhealthy lives, and use products they didn't know were hurting their health until it was too late. I want to be a source of information and education for my community to help people understand how our bodies work and why using nature in our daily lives really does allow us to live better.
What has been your favorite moment since creating your business?
I once had a woman come into my shop looking for something to make her "look younger". I introduced her to my mature-skin facial serum that has ingredients known to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. When she asked if it really worked, I let her know I use it everyday and really love how it works. To that she said to me, "Yeah, but you're only like 30". Of course I replied, "Actually, I'm 46". Her response? "I'll take the serum." I love telling that story.
How does the city you live in influence your work?
We dually reside on our farm in Western Wisconsin and our shop in the small town of Ellsworth, WI. The farm is a big influence to our partnership with plants and their healing qualities. We grow most of our food, and many of the plants we harvest are used to make extracts and infusions for our products. Continual research into the plants grown on our land leads us to new ingredients and new discoveries that can be used to enhance our product line. Our small town of Ellsworth is undergoing some major redevelopment and we have opened a shop in the heart of a commercial corridor that for years has struggled with empty, blighted buildings. Not only is our goal to run a sustainable business, but to be a part of seeing new life come into our community. We are the only retail business currently on our block, but we know we have the power to inspire others to join us!
Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?
When we first moved to our farm from the heart of Las Vegas, NV in 2012, we wanted to start a business that was inspired by rural living. My husband, Chris, commented he's always wanted to make soap and call it YB Stinky?. We ran with that branding concept labeling our soap YB Stinky?, our lip balm YB Chapped?, lotions YB Dry?, etc. Because we were looking for a way to tell our city-to-farm story, it only made sense to call our company YB Urban?.
www.yburban.com
www.facebook.com/yburbanwellness
www.instagram.com/yburbanwellness
