Village Spotlight: Meet Angie Bell of Bella Sol
Beyond those piercing blue eyes is a gentle, nostalgic soul. Her purpose is deeply engrained in her family history. Her grandmother suffered from dementia, and scents brought her back. It was a tough realization that would ignite a passion for human connectivity. Angie Bell had her muse who led her to essential oils.
“When I was a child, she taught me how to bake and cook, and the smells brought me back to those times when I would spend time with her. When she got older, I realized that when we were baking cookies, she would start to have a better day. Her memories would come back,” said Bell. She paused as she was swept up by emotion.
Bell said she wanted to create an experience for shoppers with essential oils at her aroma bar Bella Sol at the Rain Barrel Village. All who visit may enjoy what she refers to as ‘lotions, potions and sparkly treasures.’ Handmade, Dichroic glass jewelry made by Florida artists shine and sparkle at customers already enjoying the sweet smells.
“These are single note aromas, and I take those notes and combine them to make the music that a person would wear,” said Bell. “It’s a place where women and men can come in and they can create their own customized fragrance. They can have it put into a perfume, rollerball, lotion, moisturizer, gel, scrub, shampoo and body soap.”
Bell meticulously jots down each customer’s recipe by the oil drop for safekeeping in one of her rolodexes that were first to be placed in her car ahead of the last Hurricane threat. They mean the world to her. Her customer’s lives and their stories become part of her own.