The Iron Fairies

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This whimsical bath-and-beauty store opened in October 2007, inspired by Australian founder Ashley Sutton’s book of the same title about miners and fairies. The organic products are named after each of the story’s 25 creatures, which are also sold as iron-cast figurines in handmade boxes. Though it’s unclear where the tales end and truth begins when listening to the shop clerks’ zeal (you must believe in mythology to work here), the fictional archetypes are translated into a range of delectable potions and perfumes, like fragrances stirred from essential oils, whipped-soy candles, handmade soaps, salt scrubs, and imaginative extras, like vials of fairy dust. The artful space evokes a magical apothecary: Towering iron-and-glass structures dispense naturally sourced cinnamon, aloe, eucalyptus, and chamomile (which are mixed into aromatic oils to soothe dried-out skin), and cubes of glycerin are boiled in-store over a Gothic stove to make soap. The fairies are offered as guardians to those with a spiritual slant, even in so-called “naughty” personalities. And for those willing to indulge some fanciful thoughts, the clerks swear by Chloe, a popular fairy for love—word has it that a faithful customer who was previously unable to conceive recently became pregnant with her first child. — Genevieve Leon