Wildberry brings smell of the 70s to Oxford
It might be 2003, but the spirit of the 70s is alive and kicking here in Oxford. In fact, the free spirit of so many years ago has quite a strong hold in this college town, though it may not be immediately evident in the khaki-clad students and the sprawling red brick campus. It floats down High Street and in and out of homes; it swirls in the Midwest air. And it smells pretty good, too.
However, back in 1971, when Mark Biales graduated from Miami University and started his incense factory, the Wildberry, the spirit of the 70s was just getting under way.
As a psychology student at Miami, Biales worked at a leather shop and made incense on the side. Contradicting the prevalent drug culture of the day, Biales says that incense making was always a hobby; that was always his sole motivation. His business has grown to include a storefront on High Street, an incense factory on U.S Rt. 27, and a huge global customer base.
What’s his secret to successfully staying in business for 32 years?
Biales says that he offers a great product and the Wildberry “keeps things fresh.” This ensures current and long-time customers keep coming back and new customers will continue to be attracted to the store.
When Biales finished school he was trying to get out of the incense-making business, but he found there was no other company with the same quality of incense.
“I had a great product and I was selling a ton of it,” he explains.
Biales’ big break came when he attended a trade show in New York City several years after graduating. “After the trade show, other retailers started asking about it (incense), and I said ‘What the heck?’”
That carefree statement paid off. Biales expanded the Wildberry to cater to a national clientele. Soon, he found that his product was becoming popular overseas. It is not unlikely to find many businesses that deal in incense that call Wildberry’s “the absolute best,” as www.foryournose.com praises.
Biales
says that he and his customers consider Wildberry’s incense second-to-none
for three reasons. First, Wildberry’s product offers better quality and
fragrance. Second, Biales’ incense has more fragrance per stick than competitors’,
and lastly his product offers a different, superior incense fixture, which prevents
the scent from falling off the incense stick. He says that while “ocean
wind” is by far the most popular aroma sold, his favorite is “lavender”.
Though Wildberry is now an international business, Biales prefers to keep his focus on Oxford. He used to have stores in Cincinnati and Louisville, but that responsibility was “five times the headache.” Wildberry has had five different locations in Oxford, but is now located on West High Street.
The incense-making process is quite simple, really . Wildberry buys sticks and fragrances from independent vendors. The scent itself is purchased from a fragrance merchant, just as perfume is. Then the stick is dipped in a fragrance/oil hybrid for a period of time and an incense stick is born.Biales has earned a spot on High Street and his Wildberry is now one of the more successful shops Uptown, but he is concerned with the state of business in Oxford. He notes a growing corporate presence in town, insisting that small business owners are at a distinct disadvantage. “The bureaucracy in town makes it hard for small businesses to open. Big business is not a bonus,” says Biales.
He feels that Oxford’s commerce administration “just doesn’t understand business.”
Biales is not a fan of the red tape he sees here, empathizing with small business owners who dare to challenge corporations: “It (the state of affairs) is enough to drive a small, energetic guy away. These chains have the wherewithal to withstand the city.”
He believes that young entrepreneurs don’t have the time to waste waiting for business and building permits, which the city takes a long time in granting, in Biales’ opinion. Oxford’s business culture is an “anti-lubricant” run by a “committee of idiots,” he freely notes.
“There is a reason for concern,” he adds. “The only thing little guys can do is to cater to the customer.” That means more shops like Wildberry, which have original products and attract a niche customer base.
Having been a local staple for over 30 years, Mark Biales and Wildberry show no signs of slowing down. The business is growing and the people are buying.
The future smells good for this entrepreneur. It smells like…lavender.
For further reading on the Wildberry's product and how to make incense:
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/article/incense.html
http://www.scents-of-earth.com/makyourownna.html
http://www.foryournose.com