We've wanted to give you a glimpse into the lives of our artists and makers for the LONGEST time and we're so excited to start doing so now. Our intention is to extend our connection with the pieces we bring into the shop to you - to inspire & excite & take you behind the scenes with us. As our first edition it only felt right to simultaneously introduce you to our newest team member + maker Adelia Sugarman. 

 

AS: I'm currently the General Manager of Superior Merchandise Co, but I've spent the last 5ish years working in wine - most recently as a buyer for Post, the first natural wine bar in Albany (now sadly deceased). Before that my main gig was running the Half Moon Market with my friend Caroline Corrigan, a twice annual maker's market that featured about 50 designers and makers from around the region. Alongside all of that I run Dovecote, which has evolved a ton over the years but is now mainly a small line of jewelry with some leather goods and hand poured candles mixed in. The brand came out of my decision to quit my extremely stressful corporate retail job in 2013 and strike out on my own, trying to use my liberal arts degree for something that brought me joy and a (very) little bit of income.

 

AS: Felicity Jones (owner/creative director here at SM CO) reached out to me last year with the idea of creating two custom scents for SM CO and I was so excited about the idea. She had really conceptualized the whole project and I just played around with blending essential oils until I had two that I really liked and felt would be a good fit. The Day Light candle to me smells a little like breakfast cereal with a happy citrusy twist, and Night Light is a deeper woodsy scent. One to burn when you've just cleaned your house and one for taking a long bath.

AS: If I'm being honest it's mostly chaos! For candles, I'm only using plant-derived essential oils so it limits my scent options which is actually really helpful. I usually start with a vague idea for a scent, and I'm definitely the target customer - I don't like anything too flowery or pungent. Sometimes I'll smell something or even just read the name of a scent and it will spark an idea, and I'll start to build it from there. Then it's lots and lots of test candles - because nothing ever smells the same when it's burning - and a really shocking amount of math, figuring out the batch sizes and oil to wax ratio etc. I'm usually pouring them late at night, and the most satisfying thing is to wake up to a kitchen full of candles that have set overnight.

AS: Making a good old fashioned (Sazerac Rye is my go-to) and curling up in bed with a giant bowl of popcorn in my lap to watch reruns of West Wing with Ramona by my side.