Q: Why don't you have paypal? A: Having an online shopping cart requires a third party involvement, and we
would like to save the money to invest in quality products.
Q: How can I order online? A: You can email your order to me at engmanning@yahoo.com and include your phone
number, and I will call for your credit card number. You could also just call, place your order with me, and give me your
credit card number over the phone. Q: Why don't you save my credit card number? A:
As a victim of identity theft, I know how important it is to keep your credit card information secure. Therefore, we do not
keep your private information concerning your credit card. It is for your financial safety. Q:
Can I send an order through the mail? A: Yes, you can send your order with a money order (no personal checks please).
Include your name and address. Q: How much does shipping usually cost if I want
to mail or call in an order? A: Generally whether I ship UPS or USPS (I prefer UPS because the order is insured),
we usually add $8-$10 for shipping. If it goes over that, we eat the cost.
Q:
Why are your oils more expensive than other people's at, say, the flea markets and street fairs? A: We pride ourselves
on having quality, uncut oils. Some companies tell you their products are 100% oil, and they are. What they do not tell you
is that only a fraction is the fragrance oil. The rest is mineral oil or another carrier oil such as jojoba or sweet almond
oil. So you see, the product is 100% oil! It's just not the concentrated oil that will stay on you 8-24 hours like our oils
do. Q: Do you make the oils? A: No. Most of our oils come from the
Middle East, with a few manufactured in the U.S. and Canada. We do make some of the blends, but we rely on the experts to
give us true fragrances that have been popular and favored by our customers. Q:
Why is patchouli so expensive? A: Most of our patchouli comes from Indonesia, a country that has been ravaged by
earthquakes and floods in the past twelve months. The last time we experienced such a lack of patchouli was about twelve
years ago when the fields burned. When we first learned of the flooding last spring and summer, we hurried to buy in bulk,
even as prices were rising quickly. We managed to stockpile enough to keep us going and keep our patchouli lovers happy.
Q: Do you make your bath and body products? A: We make the soap, candles,
salts, and incense. We buy quality bases for the lotions, creams and butters. Q:
Why are so many of your products unscented? A: My husband tells me that I cannot assume other people will like the
same smells I like. That's why I try to keep current on the different fragrances that come into the market each season. It's
also the reason we leave our products unscented. That way, you, the customer, can determine how you want your bath salts,
lotion, or scrub to smell. Remember we do take special orders for soaps and candles.
Q: What forms of payment do you take? A: We love cash  . We also take VISA and MasterCard. If you order by mail, please send a money order with your payment. Never send cash through
the mail. Q: Do you offer classes for soapmaking, candle making, or aromatherapy? A:
Not at this time, although I am considering a series of four classes on aromatherapy. Although I am a 35 year veteran teacher,
my specialty is English, and I want to be sure I have the right information that people want before I undertake this type
of project. I have been learning for the past eighteen years, and consider myself a life-long learner. I also know that hands-on
is the best way to learn, so as I organize everything, I will keep this idea in mind. Q:
What is the difference in the types of oils you sell? A: First of all, most oils come in two grades: Manufacturers
and Cosmetic. Candles are typically made with the manufacturer's grade oil as it has a higher flash point. Most of my oils
are cosmetic grade because many of my customers wear the fragrance as perfume. I also use the oils in making my soaps, salts,
and other bath and body products, so I want them to be skin safe. Second, oils can be divided into
essential, aromatherapy, and fragrance oils. Essential oils are those that are the most basic of fragrance, extracted from
different parts of plants, depending on the oil concerned. Some are extracted from flowers, others from leaves, stems, the
rind of fruit, berries, resin, or roots. Aromatherapy oils are those used to enhance the quality of body, mind, and spirit.
Fragrance oils are those that have been manufactured to match its real counterpart. For example, a fragrance oil is oatmeal
raisin cookie--it is not an essential oil. Now, some people might connect the smell of this cookie to pleasant thoughts, so
it could fit into the aromatherapy section, but most purists would refute that. The field of aromatherapy seems to welcome
mostly essential oils. Finally, we pride ourselves on an extensive list of ladies' perfume and
men's cologne oils. These are the oil versions of the perfumes you buy in the department stores, only without alcohol. They
are not to be confused by the trademarked product, which is why you will see 'type' on the label. The cool thing about these
oils is that without all the alcohol (anywhere from 75%-97% in most store bought fragrances), a drop or two can last from
eight to twenty-four hours on your body, depending on body chemistry. We can also use these oils to fragrance bath and body
products, incense, and candles at a fraction of the cost.
Q: Can your essential
oils be taken internally? A: No. Essential oils are for external use only. I am not a doctor and do not pretend
to make claims that these oils will fix, heal, diagnose anything. Only a doctor should prescribe anything to be taken internally. Q:
Why did you move from your other location? A: Our store was a fixture at Vikon Village for 26 years, first owned
and operated by my sister and brother-in-law, and then by me and my husband. All our kids were also involved at one time or
another, so this has definitely been a family affair. New management and a declining market forced us to look at other options.
We lconsidered different shopping centers all over Dallas, trying to be a destination point for our loyal customers of two
decades. We decided to look close to home--Firewheel Town Center is an outdoor mall at the corner of 190 and Lavon Highway
and just a little over a mile from our home. Management was receptive to our business and offered a deal we could not refuse.
We opened the doors to our new store on November 20, 2009. Q: What are your long-term
plans--will you stay at Firewheel Mall? A: We love Firewheel Town Center and the people we meet on a day-to-day
basis. Although our six month lease is up at the end of April, we are anticipating a long relationship with the mall. We do
not know for sure if we will stay in our current location because it is much bigger than we need, but we do plan on making
the mall our retail home. We'd love them to make us another "offer we can't refuse," so we'll see. One thing we
know with certainty is that once you find us, you won't lose us. Just check our web site or better yet--come on by!
Q: Do you take suggestions for products from your customers? A: Absolutely!
In fact, many of our most recent products resulted from your suggestions. For example, our Four Thieves line of bath and body
products came from a conversation with a new customer. I was unfamiliar with Thieves oil and was intrigued by the history
(see new products tab). That conversation led to my making soap, bath oil, hand sanitizer, and other products as well. We
have also decided to carry catalytic effusion lamps, lamp fuel, flameless diffusers, and Himalayan salt lamps as requested
by several of our customers. In an effort to continue my belief that education is most important, I just got in information
charts covering several topics including aromatherapy, essential oils, tarot, and reflexology. These charts are laminated
and handy as a quick reference. All our prices are competitive--many coming in under half of our rivals. Q:
Are you hiring? A: Not at this time. Maybe if we win the lottery we will be able to take a day off. In the meantime,
Don and I are here every day, and our daughter Laura is going to come in and relearn the business two days a week. Ultimately,
if we succeed as hoped, we will be able to hire someone just to take a day off--or an afternoon--or an hour to do laundry...
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