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Maven Made Creates All-Natural Wellness Products With Powerful Female Energy

Sydney Lake | March 7, 2019

Topics: astrology, essential oils, Maven Made, RVA makers, skin care, small business, Sun and Selene, women-owned businesses

For Maven Made’s Bethany Frazier, getting out from under the control of men and empowering herself to create her own small business was the crucial ingredient for success.

Bethany Frazier not only makes all-natural beauty and wellness products, but creates intentional conversations through her brand, Maven Made.

After battling cystic acne during her mid-20’s and having countless terrible experiences with the dermatologist, Frazier yearned for another way to treat her condition.

“I was in an appointment and I was like, there’s got to be a better solution,” Frazier said.

That’s when the first spark ignited. Frazier went home after that appointment to research natural ingredients such as vitamins, essential oils, and herbal supplements. She invested in high quality essential oils at first and made her now-popular facial serum, which she said had the exact same formula as today, with only one ingredient having been changed.

“I used it for a month and my skin started to change,” Frazier said. “I had that moment where I was like ‘if it’s changing my skin, I’ve got to share this with other people.’”

That holiday season in 2013, she gave friends and family DIY skincare products such as facial serums and body scrubs. In 2014, Maven Made was launched.

A native Texan, Frazier moved to Richmond in 2011, as the result of a past relationship. Despite the two women going their separate ways, Frazier trusted her vagabond spirit and decided to stay in Richmond, where she launched her brand. Before Maven Made, Frazier had always worked in customer service, and had always worked for men.

“I really do think working for men that didn’t listen to me, men that undermined women, was a really important part of me starting this for myself,” she said. “I was done. I was so over it.”

Replacing discrimination with determination, Frazier has shaped Maven Made into a proud queer-woman-owned business through the positive energy she puts into her products and the conversation she creates on social media. Despite the common misconception that Frazier is a straight woman due to her outward femininity, Frazier stays true to herself — something that other small business owners notice.

Brittanny Chanel DeRaffele, owner of local jewelry line Sun and Selene, met Frazier in the Richmond makers circuit during the nascent period of their businesses. Both new to the market scene, they found themselves at the same events, and always gravitated toward each other.

“She has such a vision for herself and for her product and how she puts herself out into the world,” DeRaffele said. “She is really the driving force behind her brand, for sure. It’s what she really lives by, and it definitely shows.”

Frazier’s product, brand, vision, and ideals have become intertwined, and she uses this as a platform to discuss topics that are important to her and others including intersectional feminism, radical self-care, and establishing boundaries. Through social media engagement and workshops, Frazier sheds light on what she’s reading and absorbing, and garners engagement with her followers and customers alike.

“As women, we are still conditioned and still hold on to this notion – even business owners – that we need to be agreeable,” Frazier said. “I don’t need to be for everyone. Some people don’t like what I say, and that’s fine.”

DeRaffele praised Frazier’s ability to incorporate conversation into her brand.

“She really sparks some amazing conversations that a lot of people might be too timid to chime in on, but when they see someone being open, and a woman being vulnerable about it, it really makes a lot of people feel a lot more comfortable in approaching her brand,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be for you, and that’s totally okay.”

Frazier uses this same mentality when she selected business that she allows to carry her product. She thoughtfully observes their social media to evaluate their transparency and determine whether their ideals are a match. In doing so, she has created the opportunity for herself to say no, and hold herself accountable.

“I can tell just by reviewing their social media that I know what they stand for, that I know they’re inclusive and they represent every type of person,” Frazier said. “It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.”

Despite her selectivity, Frazier said that Richmond was a great community to be in. She’s noticed makers creating product that they want to see here or are lacking, and said that business owners here, such as DeRaffele, were transparent, offering advice and support. But owning a business always comes with its challenges.

“I feel like in Richmond, people just want you to succeed. But to succeed in this city as a small business owner you need to come to the table with independent, original ideas,” Frazier said. “I’ve seen a lot of piggybacking, and people notice it.”

“I’ve had people walk all over me, and I just have to set firm boundaries. But I just don’t let it distract me. People see the glamour part in being a small artisan. It’s not that; it’s hard.”

DeRaffele echoed the difficulty in dissolving misconceptions of female-owned businesses.

“ A lot of times there’s this kind of fluff to it. The challenge is the idea that we all have to be these happy, lovey-dovey female business owners,” DeRaffele said. “We’re business owners first, and females as well.”

In an industry riddled with judgement, Frazier has given new meaning to wellness.

“I see a lot of product shaming, body shaming, wellness shaming, eating shaming within this industry,” Frazier said. “I’ve been on the other side and don’t have a tolerance for that.”

In creating the product itself, Frazier takes caution while formulating fresh batches. As a small business owner, Frazier can afford the time and care she puts into the product, and sticks to ritual.

“I literally do not make products if I’m in a bad mood. I will not,” Frazier said. “If I’m stressed, if I’m feeling funky, if I’m fighting with my wife, I won’t make it.”

All of the water used in her products is charged under the full moon to add to the positive energy. Although she can’t distill essential oils herself, Frazier sources from New Direction Aromatics, buys some local ingredients from Ellwood Thompson’s, and purchases materials from independent small farmers. All of her products are now certified vegan.

“People want to know who’s making their products, what their core beliefs are, who they are. What they stand for. What they don’t stand for. To dig deeper and to really connect the dots to where we’re buying our stuff,” Frazier said. “We [are] as conscious as we can be.”

Frazier’s products are also greatly influenced by astrology. Much like her moon-charged water, Frazier’s mother used to serve her tea that had steeped in the sun that tasted like sunshine.

The ritualistic nature and esoteric history behind astrology adds another layer and makes the products more special, Frazier said.

“With astrology or anything related to wellness, you have to take what speaks to you,” she said. “You have to take what resonates and leave what doesn’t.”

Maven Made’s astrological line launched in 2017, when Frazier felt that the timing was right and that the product was special. After finding 12 different roller balls for the 12 unique astrological blends, she knew it was time to launch. While creating the blends, she selected oils to ground the energies and to amplify the positive traits of each sign, all while using friends and family as muses for the line.

“I almost went to another dimension because I was so excited about it,” Frazier said.

This excitement for expansion is still evident in Frazier’s plans today. Her goal is to have a studio space in 2020, with open hours as she doesn’t want to commit to retail store just yet. Customers would be able to refill their products and attend consultations and workshops in the space Frazier hopes to have.

Outside Richmond, Maven Made can be found on shelves across the country in places such as Nashville and Los Angeles. With more stores and places in mind, Frazier is making an outbounding effort to get Maven Made outside of Richmond. Frazier said that pop-up events in new cities allowed customers to get to know the person behind the brand.

“In the larger picture, that really does make a difference,” DeRaffele said. “She’s not just slapping a label on a bottle of essential oils and calling it a miracle product. She really does her research, and everything I’ve tried of hers I’ve had great results.”

Frazier credits trust in herself as the driving force of her business.

“Trusting your gut, feeling what’s not right, has been the most important part of my business,” she said. “You have to start somewhere. You have to be silly and vulnerable and excited.”

Frazier’s products can be purchased online or at routine pop-up events. At monthly pop-up events, Frazier is offering Facial Serum refills in an effort to reduce waste and establish connections with her customers.

Photos courtesy of Juliet Bryant Photography.

Smart Sips: Maven Made at Graduate Richmond

Joe Vanderhoff | September 11, 2018

Topics: apothecary blending workshop, Exfoliation, Graduate Richmond, Maven Made, smart sips

Join us and Bethany Frazier, creator of Maven Made, as she leads you through a unique hands-on apothecary blending workshop to make your very own sugar scrub.

Exfoliation is a powerful skincare ritual to remove dead skin cells, brighten and smooth, but with hundreds of harsh chemical-based exfoliants in the market, we often cause more damage to our skin (and entire body). In this unique workshop, we’re diving into the power of natural and botanical ingredients, an open discussion on skin health (without that “natural wellness” elitism) and end with creating your own customized exfoliating scrub. From soft cane sugar to fruit extracts and bountiful oils, plant-based ingredients are not only pleasing to the nose, but also incredibly multidimensional to nourish the entire body. From stimulating the lymphatic system, boosting circulation, protecting skin and soothing muscles, Bethany will provide lots of interesting information on each ingredient for you to whip up something tailored just for you.

We’ll also provide healthy snacks, herbal tea, and a glass of wine or champagne.

Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!

Smart Sips is a recurring monthly event at Graduate Richmond Hotel. Stop by to learn from some of Richmond’s most interesting people. Whether you are creating, listening, or interacting, you will come away with knowledge that is guaranteed to impress even your coolest friends. Our hosts will cover a wide range of topics such as healthy eating, fashion styling and hand lettering (all while you sip on a glass of bubbly!)

Photo Credit: Julie Bryant Photography

Smart Sips: Maven Made at Graduate Richmond

Joe Vanderhoff | May 17, 2018

Topics: fashion, Graduate Richmond, healthy eating, Maven Made, smart sips

On the last Tuesday of every month, stop by to learn from some of Richmond’s most interesting people. Whether you are creating, listening, or interacting, you will come away with knowledge that is guaranteed to impress even your coolest friends. Our hosts will cover a wide range of topics such as healthy eating, fashion styling and hand lettering (all while you sip on a glass of bubbly!) 

This month, join us and Bethany Frazier, creator of Maven Made, as she leads you through a unique hands-on apothecary blending workshop to learn the importance of skincare (and self-care!) to maintain that healthy summer glow.

Oils are magic for the skin – from their strengthening properties to promoting regeneration + ridding acne. You’ll have complexion-nourish oils at your hands to create your own full sized and customized Facial Serum.

We’ll also provide healthy snacks, herbal tea, and a complimentary glass of wine or champagne.

 

More info on Maven Made: Simple all-natural, non-toxic products for home, wellness + beauty. From essential oils to rosewater or finely ground sandalwood, each element used in Maven Made products are vegan + kosher certified, mindfully crafted, all-natural + ethically-sourced.

 

Price: $35 per person

Ticket Info: https://smartsipsmavenmade.eventbrite.com

RVA Mag First Fridays Picks January 2018

Amy David | January 5, 2018

Topics: 68 Home, ADA Gallery, art, Atlas gallery, Candela Books + Gallery, Dogtown Dance Theatre, Fresh Richmond, Future Studio, Gallery5, Guards and Flags, Maven Made, Page Bond Gallery, RVA ARt, RVA First Fridays, rva streetwear, Suin & Selene, Vagabond, vcu, VCU Sculpture Department, VCUarts

From the  Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China making its way to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts this fall, to Pueblo artist Virgil Ortiz‘ figurative ceramic works retelling the story of his ancestors’ rebellion against Spanish colonizers in 1680 in the “Hear my Voice” exhibit, to VCU’s announcement of their forthcoming Insititute of Contemporary Art, and our ever-growing number of murals, Richmond’s arts scene was booming in 2017. To kick 2018 off to a great start, RVA First Fridays returns this month with a slew of emerging talented artists, new exhibits, fashion showcases, artisan markets, and more.

RVA Mag has rounded up a handful of our top picks for this month’s First Fridays Artwalk and there should be a little something in there for everyone this go around.

Dogtown Dance Theatre

Made by RVA’s RVA Creative Market

Opens Sat. Jan. 6

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In an effort to support Richmond entrepreneurs and local artisans, the Manchester dance theatre has partnered with events website Unlockingrva and Made by RVA to host a market for Richmonders to shop local products and support local shop makers, creators, artists, crafters, and bakers. 109 W. 15th St. 

Candela Books & Gallery

Science As Muse 

 Exhibit runs Jan. 5 – Feb. 17

Caleb Charland, “Fruit Battery Still Life (Citrus),” Archival Pigment Print, 32 x 40 inches Courtesy of Sasha Wolf Projects

For their first show of 2018, Candela Books & Gallery will feature eight artists in the photography exhibit, Science As Muse. The artists, which include,  Walter Chappell, Caleb Charland, Rose-Lynn Fisher, Pam Fox, Daniel Kariko, Michael Rauner, Robert Shults, and Susan Worsham, all use science as their inspiration to base their photographic works around. Some of the artists use equipment made possible by modern science while others have create work by applying the scientific method, and some have simply documented the worlds within scientists practice their craft, each telling a story with their photos. 214 W. Broad St. 

Pam Fox, “Windsock,” 1999-2002. Gelatin Silver Print, 20 x 16 inches

Art 180
Future Studio Opening
Opening reception Jan. 5

Photo Credit: Future Studio program

In partnership with the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU and the VCuarts Department of Sculpture & Extended Media, Art180 will feature its first “Future Studio”, showcasing artwork by high-schoolers in the Future Studio program. The 10-week free program provides Richmond teens with hands-on experience creating art and other media in VCU’s Sculpture department. The Future Studio program also gives teens the opportunity to visit the ICA building, access to portfolio workshops, lectures, free materials, and a chance to have their work showcased in Art 180’s Atlas gallery.

Gallery5
Gold for A Silver Situation
Fri. Jan. 5-Jan. 25

This Friday, Gallery5’s “Gold For A Silver Situation” opens, featuring the work of 12 Richmond female artists. Curated by fellow local artist Katie McBride, the exhibit aims to break gender barriers, and highlight the many talented female illustrators and artists making significant contributions to their field, yet still, are too often seen or viewed as an afterthought to male artists in their field.

The show includes the art of Cathryn Virginia, Holly Camp, Melissa Duffy, Ally Hodges, Brooke Inman, Meena Khalili, and,  Mary Chiaramonte,  Victoria Borges,  Clara Cline, Kamille Jackson, Amelia Blair Langford, along with McBride, whose known for her design of the 2016 Richmond Folk Fest poster.

Art by Mary Chiarmonte

“Female illustrators are not an afterthought. Walk in and see 50 pieces of amazing art and understand that these people should be first in your mind for a big, crazy, stunning, dramatic oil painting, or super smart conceptual think-piece, or a portrait, or whatever it is,” said McBride, told RVA Mag in a recent interview about the new exhibit.

You can view a catalog of each of the artists’ work here. Gold For A Silver Situation opens tonight at 7 pm. Music kicks off at 8 pm with Elizabeth Owens, Slurry, Georgie Isaacs, and Deau Eyes. Other vendors will also be at Gallery5 so make sure you stop by Gallery’5 membership table, Belle Isle Moonshine, “Interconnection”, a series of Multimedia Collages, and Portraits of Richmond Icons by Courtney Lebow, and  Becky Whitson, who will be selling floral headpieces and fine art.

Page Bond Gallery
Glow Glimmer Sparkle Shine
Exhibit runs until Jan. 13

 Image result for page bond rva mag

You still have a few weeks left to check out Page Bond Gallery’s Glow Glimmer Sparkle Shine exhibit featuring 26 artists which range from paintings to ceramics to abstract work.

Sculptural ceramics artist Piero Fenci is among those showcasing his work, which resembles ancient architecture, armor, and industrial machinery. Fenci describes it as “loosely rendered reinventions of the past” that reveal “a heritage of [his] own passions.” The artist has been a professor at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas since 1975 and he founded the first university program in contemporary ceramic art in northern Mexico at la Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua in 2004.

Ross Browne, a Richmond native and figurative painter,  is displaying his dream-like portraits, which fuse together fact and  “imagined mythology” to challenge “preconceived notions of the shared human experience”. The artist also incorporates nature such as birds, land, and cityscapes into his artwork to convey “the struggles of identity, power, and self-actualization.”

You can see their work and the work of the following artists at Page Bond Gallery in this exhibit: Participating artists include: Isabelle Abbot, Will Berry, Karen Blair, Sanford Bond, Robin Braun, Amy Chan, Charlotte Culot, Clark Derbes, Sean Donlon, Isa Newby Gagarin, Sarah Irvin, Harris Johnson, Becky Joye, B. Millner, Sarah Mizer, Jaydan Moore, Matthew Langley, Tim O’Kane, Corey Pemberton, Curtis Ripley, Fiona Ross, Nancy Murphy Spicer, Leigh Suggs, and Julie Wolfe. 1625 W. Main St.

ADA Gallery
Bruce Wilhelm: Next
Exhibit runs Fri. Jan. 5-Jan. 28

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ADA Gallery presents Richmond-based artist Bruce Wilhelm’s solo exhibit, Next, featuring his abstract works. A VCU graduate, Wilhelm has received two Virginia Museum Fellowship Grants and has showcased his work at ADA Gallery since 2005. The artist is also the co-founder of Philly’s Grizzly Grizzly gallery. 228 W. Broad St. 7-9 PM.

Sediment Arts
GenderFail
Exhibit runs Fri. Jan 5-Jan. 21

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Opening tonight is Sediment Arts storefront exhibit, GenderFail, a publishing and program initiative founded by Brett Suemnicht. The exhibit will feature a multimedia installation of publications, prints, and select programming focused on perspectives of queer and transgender people as well as people of color. The aim is to “build up, reinforce and open opportunities for creative projects focusing on printed matter.”

The featured works are from the GenderFail Archive Project in the form of a reading room with select titles from the GenderFail library.  The selections will be archived on the site and presented at the gallery as installations on sculptures commissioned from Richmond-based artists. The collaborative sculptural displays were created by artists Hallie McNeill, Evan Galbicka and Colin Klockner. GenderFail will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 1-6 pm and tonight’s opening will run from 6-9 pm. 208 E. Grace St. 

68 Home
 The Zodiac Collections
Exhibit opens Fri. Jan. 5

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 68 Home, a used and locally made furniture and home decor store and art gallery, will open First Fridays this month with “The Zodiac Collections”, a complete astrology-inspired exhibit.

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There will be $5 card readings by @snakeoil, online jewelry boutique Sun and Selene will be there selling their products, along with Maven Made, a local company selling all natural, ethically-sourced beauty, home, and wellness products, and local custom-flag shop Guards and Flags. 5 W. Broad St.

Threat Count Shirts
Cotton to Canvas: Champ Era Street Calculus

This Friday, Thread Count Shirts, a local custom brand t-shirt and apparel business, will have a pop-up shop showcasing local designer Champ Era’s latest collection, Street Calculus. 6-10 PM. 209 E. Broad St. 

Fresh Richmond
Pop Up Shop
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Fresh Richmond is hosting a Pop-Up Shop for their First Fridays of the New Year. The shop will feature clothing from Sky Mission Clothing Co., artwork made using water, fire, and air by SABartStudio, jewelry and gemstones by The RAW Aura, homade lotions by Nature’s Booty, and a DJ set by DJ Lady Syren and Neili Neil. 5-8:30 PM. 213 E. Broad St.

 

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Artwork by featured artist Shaylen Amanda Broughton

Vagabond
 Smoochie Jankins 1st Fridays Party!

Vagabond will throw an artist pop-up in The Rabbit Hole tonight at 9 PM featuring art and design from Jessica Camilli, Kamala Bhagat, Liberatus Jewelry, with music by Smoochie Jankins. Led by Mark Ingraham on the trumpet, the band is rounded out with Garen Dorsey (Sax/ Keys), Macon Mann (Keys), Kelli Strawbridge (Drums), Nekoro Thabiti Williams (PBR, Drums) and Derek Goodall, (drums) which is bound to get you out of your house braving the cold weather to hear these awesome musicians play. 700 E. Broad St. 

Check out all the RVA First Fridays happenings here.

 

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