North Texas Daily

Three artists came together to create a platform for other artists. This resulted in Earth and Space Marketplace, a business that sells handmade products, such as candles, jewelry and art.

The small business aims to provide services to small artists while drawing on various aspects of spirituality for their brand, implementing them through their products.

Earth and Space Marketplace is made up of three like-minded individuals: Mercedes Guilles, who handles the business aspect and the website while currently living in Alaska, and Echo Mayo and Evelyn Brown, who are involved in the product making and currently based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

Each person behind Earth and Space Marketplace also offers their own creative services. Mayo provides a sound design service in which she makes custom, royalty-free music for creators. Brown provides photography for product shoots and modeling services. And as the business’s technician and the person who handles the website design, Guilles provides a graphic and web design service. 

The idea of Earth and Space Marketplace started in March 2020, when the COVID-19 lockdown first began. The three started the business as a way to get their bearings as artists while expanding on the idea of what it means to create art.

“For me, to be an artist, it’s connecting with people, changing people’s perspectives and how they view the world and also how they view themselves,” Echo said. “And when it comes to Earth and Space [Marketplace], how they take care of themselves.”

One of the focuses of the business is conscious consumption. The products, handmade by Mayo and Brown, are made with ethically-sourced materials and natural remedies without the use of harsh chemicals. Every product has its ingredients and materials listed for those with allergies.

“We are trying not to contribute to the steadily growing harm that’s already happening to the earth with a lot of companies mass-producing things and taking from the environment and not replacing and replenishing them,” Brown said.

By hand-making their products, the creators are able to know everything that goes in, making sure each material is handled with care.

“[Our business is about] being consciously aware of the energy that our products hold and trying not to put negative or harmful energy into it,” Brown said. “That’s mainly what life is about. It’s just constantly changing energies because you can’t destroy or create energy. All you can do is transform it.”

When creating products, Mayo and Brown look to the different seasons for inspiration. This means working with the herbs that are in season and drawing from the aesthetic of the current seasonal weather and the astrological season. They are currently creating a spring-inspired collection that is also influenced by the Aries zodiac, implementing bright colors. This new collection will include earrings for the first time.

The other part of the business involves providing services to small artists. As artists, the three want to uplift others in their community, hoping to help those who may not have the opportunities or the financial resources to create and express themselves.

“We’re not trying to limit the artists to ‘Earth,’” Mayo said. “You can be a digital artist of some kind, so that’s where ‘Earth and Space’ came from. We’re not just offering things from this Earth. We’re also offering things from what people would call ‘space’ because it’s technology.”

To follow the idea of uplifting small artists, Earth and Space Marketplace also offers subscription boxes, and they hope to feature a different artist each month. Their next shop update on March 28 will include a subscription box with the first feature artist, Anna Marie, who creates wreaths and wrapped crystals, alongside their Spring-inspired collection.

Through Earth and Space Marketplace, the three hope to build a positive community that has supportive members and open conversations about various topics, including difficult ones. Their website includes a forum where members can post and create discussions.

“[We are] just truly spreading authenticity of not only our products but our intentions with what we’re trying to do,” Guilles said. “And what we’re trying to do is create that community to be able to have these conversations that are hard and see what we can do about it. We want to be able to have those tough conversations and open up our minds.”

For the future of Earth and Space Marketplace, the three hope to help bring the spotlight on more artists and to possibly have either a brick-and-mortar store or a traveling van to sell products out of. They also hope to use their platform to spread information and awareness.

“We would just like to be able to spread as much love and light as we can,” Merci said.

Individuals interested in purchasing from Earth and Space Marketplace can do so on its website, earthandspacemarketplace.com, or at Salvage Shoppe on Oak Street.

Courtesy Earth and Space Marketplace