Meet David & Karilyn Harper | Business Owners

We had the good fortune of connecting with David & Karilyn Harper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David & Karilyn, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We believe in being passionate about what you, and a huge passion of ours is food. We enjoy sharing great food with amazing friends and family. Another passion of ours is the dark and creepy. We enjoy learning about cryptids, murder, all things curious and macabre. The idea behind Occult Herbs & Tonics was born and died many times. We weren’t sure how to even get started, a lot of time and effort when into researching ingredients and unique label designs, by our incredibly talented artist, Stephanie Ann instagram.com/enchantedlyamused We also decided to take the leap and really invest in the idea in the midst of the pandemic, which provided a whole other set of problems. KickStarter was a invaluable resource for crowdfunding; we surpassed our 3.000 goal and now are fully operational with new blends in the works!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
David: Aside from Occult, I install commercial landscapes. I started in the trade because its what paid the bills, but quickly discovered I have a passion for playing with dirt and designing irrigation plans. Work hasn’t always been easy, it takes a lot to prove yourself in this industry, and not everyone respects you, but finding a work environment that does, makes all the difference in how I feel about waking up before the sun to tackle a work day.

Karilyn: When I’m not mixing batches of Spices, I am sewing custom clothing. I’ve been my own boss for the last five years and I’m thoroughly excited to be pursuing another business dream with my favorite person. Our goal is to one day be completely self sustained off of our companies. One lesson I’ve learned with my industry- make sure you always get payment prior to completing an order. It’s especially important for freelance artists to cover their expenses, charge what you’re worth, not what is in someone’s budget.

D&K on Occult: We would like folks to know that our brand is meant to be a bit peculiar, we are catering to the darker aesthetic. Our blends are made with ethically sourced ingredients and mixed in small batches. Behind each blend is a story, our Necromancer (legendary barbecue blend) got it’s name from, the simple fact that we resurrected the idea of launching our own spice company after the original idea came to us, but had to abandon it due to lack of funding, Necromancer reminds us that dreams don’t have to die, just work towards them and they will happen.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We love to visit The Denver Biscuit Company or The Ale House, and Torchys Tacos are all great places to eat! (David) I’m a sucker for a good biscuit and gravy. (Karilyn) I’m a fan of any place with fries or tacos, its the simple things that make me happy. I also recommend walking 16th street, its one of my favorite places to hit up when in Denver. We also enjoy visiting the aquarium with our kids, they love the stingrays!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We’ve already mentioned our incredibly artist, Stephanie Ann @encahntedlyamused Our inspiration comes from a number of places, including the unsung heroes of the podcast world. Scared To Death Podcast, TimeSuck, No Sleep Podcast and Small Town Murder are some of the morbid/dark humor talk shows we listen to. Also an undying gratitude to all 53 of our backers on KickStarter, we would not exist without you.

Website: www.occultherbsandtonics.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/occult.herbsandtonics

Facebook: www.facebook.com/occultherbsandtonics