the world changed overnight.

Since early spring, many people have been coming back into the store to shop. For the most part it's been a great success, especially for those aware of the new configuration. Every now and then however, someone is really really unhappy about the way things are set up. We get it. We do. We just have a limited amount of energy when bulwarking disappointed shoppers. Especially when it gets busy.

Like most of you, we have found that getting through the last couple of years with our sanity in tact has been all about adaptation. Making the best of what we can. As the majority of our business is done by online shoppers (US, Canada and UK) and though custom blending, our priorities had to be re-ordered. We are part of a growing trend toward finding new ways to do business.

Think of the updated store configuration the way you would with your favorite bakery. All the things you love are right in front of you, and the sales associate is there to give you a one-on-one experience with loads of scent pods available for you to sample the aromas.

Once we move to a new location in January 2023 (only a few blocks away.. we will announce when ready), we will add more browsing space and a place to hang out with your dog or stroller while we do what we do. Until then, we hope you will make the best of what we have to offer, and like us, work to be patient and kind when things get crazy busy.

Thanks for rolling with the changes, and for making 2021 our best year ever!

Steve, Sarah + Alli

If only, right? No such luck. At least for today.

Instead I'm going to give you a quick 3 minute read on shortages and why you might want to consider shopping your favorite little boutiques this season so that they can still be around next season.

Lately we have all been schooled on how supply chain issues can gum up the works. Like most businesses, spring and summer of 2020 was a bit of a dust up for D+L. Raw materials were scarce, our lab production was down for weeks, and shortages of everything forced us to make due with what was available.

As we progressed into 2021, we decided to prepare for the worst. We loaded up on raw materials, packaging supplies, and we standardized our plastics consumption into two lanes. Lane one: choose plastics that would be highly valued by recyclers, to be repurposed by the industry and not land-filled. Lane Two: find three sizes that make the most sense as a manufacturer, and take into account the cost and use as a consumer. We ordered our holiday shopping and gift bags back in February. Candle glasses were silkscreened by the thousands. Ribbons, tissue, boxes, packing tape.. most of us don't think about the special little things until they're in short supply. Among the goals for 2021 was to state that this holiday season we will have plenty of everything. We will continue to give back within our community and strive to be greener, but we are taking nothing for granted.

Last year gave us a glimpse of what havoc shortages can bring so in a sense we were lucky to anticipate this year. Nothing goes to waste in our workshop. But not every small business is quite so lucky. For many retailers who need the holidays to fund their year, survival isn't possible without our support. We encourage you to shop small again this season. To support the little stores in your towns and neighborhoods as so many of you already do. Please share what you love about them on your social media feeds and by word of mouth.

Too much of what we love about Philly is already in scarce supply.

By now almost everyone knows where our business has pivoted since late winter 2020. It's been fairly easy to adapt since most of our energy goes into making the stuff we sell. A sort of "keep your head down" mentality prevailed throughout the storm