Inspiring Conversations with Crystal Baldwin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Baldwin.

Hi Crystal, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Having a store wasn’t always the plan for sure however, I have done parts of what I do now for many years. My story for this business started over 20 years ago while working in the medical field. My Grandmother instilled a love for plants and taught me how to use them for general things like a bee sting, upset tummy, or colds & flu. As an adult, I came to learn about essential oils and started to study Aromatherapy.

The medical field didn’t always fill the gaps for me and plant medicine became more and more fascinating. At that time, there were no regulatory organizations in the US and it was suggested that you were either a nurse or a certified massage therapist to practice Aromatherapy. Having left the medical field, I decided to go back to school to become a massage therapist. This led me down a rabbit hole that took me to Thailand where I lived and studied Thai massage for a while before returning to Colorado and starting my practice.

I furthered my studies and became a certified esthetician as well, doing facials and skin treatments. I had a practice for almost 10 years incorporating herbalism, aromatherapy, holding classes, and hosting herbal clubs, and then tragedy struck.

My husband who was a sergeant with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office at the time, was suddenly killed while on duty and my whole life changed in an instant. It took me about a year and a half to sort all of the legalities out and when it was over I no longer wanted to continue in my same field but wasn’t sure which way to turn.

Luckily for me some good friends guided me along and asked me what I liked to do the most out of everything I had done previously…that led me to write down the top things I had enjoyed about my former life – helping people, teaching, product formulating and surrounding myself with things of beauty which, from my aromatherapy studies in the South of France helped me understand how important beauty is to healing. Thus, my boutique was born!

I have fashioned my boutique after the beautiful shops in the South of France and we even have a 10-foot Eiffel Tower inside! We carry many health and wellness lines, teach classes and workshops, and offer herbs and essential oils as well. I love being a part of our local community in Downtown Golden.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Owning a business is never a smooth road for sure! Making the transition from my more quiet life working one-on-one with clients to a bustling store is very different. Of course, my biggest struggle was how my store was started, everything after that is a piece of cake!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Although I started out wanting to share health and wellness with others, the beautiful items in my store led me to be known as a wonderful gift shop, which we are but with a twist.

I have many lines that promote wellness but all of our lines are what we call “clean ingredient” items. This means that we don’t carry products that have harmful ingredients and our customers have come to know that they don’t have to read the ingredients when shopping in my store – I have done all the work to be sure they have healthy products. From bath and body items and make-up, right down to the wicks in a candle…there are no hormone disruptors or cancer-causing ingredients in my products. This is just one thing that sets us apart from others.

I have many “farm to shelf” lines in our store as well. This means the people creating the products have grown the plants that become the ingredients that go into the products, like our calendula skin-care line or our lavender products. The majority of our vendors are women-owned businesses which we are very proud to support.

I also set out to figure out how to create a “give-back” program and decided rather than planting trees or donating to one organization, I would bring in many lines that have their own “give-back” program. This way shoppers could feel connected to the makers themselves and align with a program they feel strongly about. This also allows us to be able to support many different causes from supporting orphans in Nepal (Ornaments 4 Orphans) to meals for single Moms (Ruthie & Olive Jewelry) to Support for abandoned girls in India (Ink & Alloy Jewelry). Our customers get to pick items that support a bigger cause.

I also love being a part of our community and education is important to me. That is why besides holding classes and workshops we host free educational events throughout the year to help people learn more and to be a part of the community themselves. I am so proud that many women have met at our event and developed friendships that continue outside of our doors.

The boutique has grown so much over the last 8 years and we now carry everything from bath and body to women’s accessories – vegan leather purses, scarves, hats, gloves, herbs, essential oils, teas, healthy make-up, books, bulk herbs, essential oils and DIY items to candles, home and garden and so much more. I am ever-changing and introducing new products.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I have had so many helpers along the way that it is hard to name them all.

My core group of friends from back East that I grew up with and that I have known for over 35 -40 years were the ones that got me through the worst period of my life and into this new beginning. Of course, new friends here in Colorado, local businesses and people in downtown Golden, and my wonderful employees & customers have all been a part of my success.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.earthsweetboutique.com
• Instagram: @EarthSweetBoutique
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/earthsweetboutique

Image Credits
Randy Hull