Happy Almost Valentine’s Day. Truth be told- I am not a huge fan of this holiday, but I am the BIGGEST supporter in self love.
While Valentine’s Day is normally centered around romantic love, I am such a big advocate around the idea that that is not the only love worth celebrating. There are so many other types of love- the love you have for your friends, your pets, your family, yourself – that usually get kicked to the curb during the Valentine’s Day hype.
If you’re reading this and you don’t have a romantic partner for Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to spend your day focusing on the love you have for yourself. And if you keep reading, you’ll find I have a few items that can help you with that. *wink wink*
Since officially becoming a Baltimore resident, it has become a big goal of mine to shop more locally. Last November, I researched some small businesses located in Baltimore to support and buy from during SBS. During that research I learned more about Haus Of J.Bell and completely fell in love with their products and mission.
This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Ashley Bell, the owner and one of the founders of Haus Of J.Bell about the importance of self care, self love and mental health.
Haus Of J.Bell was started by Ashley and her three sisters, Jasmine, Teresa and Gamica in 2020. After the passing of their brother, James “JB” Bell in 2019, Ashley thought this was a great way to spend more time with her sisters, process their grieving and honor their brother.
Haus Of J.Bell is a Black-Owned, Women-Owned small business that started here in Baltimore. They are strong on mental health advocacy and promoting healthy conversation regarding suicide prevention. Every month, Haus Of J.Bell makes donations to National Suicide Prevention. They also have The National Suicide Hotline listed on their website.
This is a cause very close to my heart and I’m sure a lot of others out there. Which is why it was so wonderful talking with Ashley this past week.
“When my brother was suffering, nobody knew,” Ashley Bell said. “My brother and I were very close. Only 10 months apart. I’ve found that in my grieving process, it helps to talk to others who may know and relate to what my family has gone through”.
You can find all of Haus Of J.Bell’s products on their website, or find Ashley selling her products alongside her son and sisters at pop-ups around Baltimore. I first noticed Haus Of J.Bell at BMore Flea in Fells Point last year.
“When I do a pop-up, I get to tell JB’s story,” Bell said. “I can tell my story. I can allow myself to be vulnerable and give [the shopper] a space to talk about themselves and their stories as well.”
While chatting with Ashley, we both laughed over the concept of “Anti-Valentine’s Day” and how easy you can get in your feelings about not having a Valentine.
Haus Of J.Bell’s newest product is the ‘34+35 candle’ and I wish I could convey over a computer how good it smells! The best way to describe it would be to literally quote Ashley: “It smells like a good man’s cologne.”
“It’s usually after I make my products that I come up with the names,” Bell said. “It’s about how I feel in the moment. I was just listening to that Ariana Grande song and smelled this candle again and thought, ‘this is it!’ I love what I do”.
I am such a big fan of these products! Everything is homemade, natural based and smell amazing! My personal favorites are the 34+35 candle and the cherry lip scrub.
I am so excited to share that I partnered with Haus of J.Bell for a fun Valentine’s giveaway on my Instagram that ends on Sunday, February 13th at 11:59pm. Head over to my Instagram to check it out!
This candle is included in my giveaway along with the other products you see above! And Ashley couldn’t be more right- I love the smell of man’s cologne and that is exactly what this candle reminds me of.
Haus Of J.Bell’s next pop-up will be at the Ministry of Brewing on February 13th from 12-5pm. I want to give a HUGE thank you to Ashley for chatting with me and Haus Of J.Bell for partnering with me in this giveaway!
And no matter what your plans are for this Valentine’s Day, I’d like to encourage you to take a step back and remember to love and care for yourself, even if it’s just for a moment. For those who are struggling during this time, I reach out a hand of comfort, support and love to you. You are not alone.
If you or someone else is in a crisis, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1(800)273 Talk (8255), or text the crisis textline (Text “Hello” to 741741). The deaf or hard of hearing can contact Lifeline via TTY at 1(800)799-4889.
Thanks for reading! xx