By Hannah Lester
hlester@
opelikaobserver.com
Shree Summerlin wanted to create a candle brand that was unique, minimalistic and would blend right in with the decor that already exists in your home. And so, The Curious Fox was born.
“We make candles that kind of elevate one’s space without distracting from it,” Summerlin said. “… I was living in Charleston, South Carolina, and I would do a lot of photography around my house and I noticed that every time I would take photos there would be a candle in my shot that had just really loud branding. It totally threw off what I was trying to photograph.”
The Curious Fox candles are simple. They come in matte white or black with a fox on the front.
There are six scents to choose from:
– Nutmeg, Geranium, Frakincense
– Butter, Cream, Vanilla
– Milky Coffee, Nutty, Caramel
– Violet, Cedarwood, Leather
– Dewberry, Vanilla, Sandalwood
– Bergamot, Orchid, Musk.
Summerlin launched the brand five years ago while still in Charleston, but she and her husband moved to Opelika two years ago.
The brand has evolved over five years — for one thing, there is a physical location for the product, rather than fully online.
The Curious Fox candles can be found inside The Well in Opelika.
The Well is a new Opelika storefront that incorporates women-run businesses and products into one inclusive experience on Avenue A.
The space opened on March 20 and includes 15 to 20 businesses, many of which will rotate out to allow for other creators.
Summerlin said that she knew Alison Kovak, the owner of the building The Well is located in. When work began on the space, the two began discussing collaboration.
“She texted me and asked if I would like to be a part of it and of course, I said yes,” she said. “It’s just blossomed from there.”
There have been adjustments to having The Curious Fox in a smaller town like Opelika, as opposed to Charleston, Summerlin said.
First of all, in Charleston, people mostly only cared about the product. In Opelika, people care about the business owner.
“I think I’ve had to build relationships with people,” she said. “I think building relationships here is very, very important. People want to know that they’re buying from a neighbor, a friend.”
Summerlin pours her candles herself — which wasn’t always the case.
“When we initially started, I was outsourcing a lot of things and it’s grown internally because I’ve started bringing things more into the business itself,” she said. “So I’m handling a lot more of the creation of the candles versus when I initially started and I felt I couldn’t do that so I was paying other people to do that.”
There are some new things in the works. A new collection is on the way, Summerlin said, which she thinks will appeal to those in Auburn and Opelika.
To check out The Curious Fox online, visit www.thecuriousfox.co.
Or, visit The Well in person.
The Well is located at 824 Ave. A, Opelika and is open Monday- Sunday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Reservations are required outside of walk-in hours, which are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Well requests one hour notices ahead of the reservation time.
This is the ninth in a series of articles on the different businesses that are located inside The Well.
