Noraya Minnick was working in her mother's restaurant when, encouraged by the desire to change the sector and her own personal concerns, she became interested in sustainability. It was the year 2018 and, after a process of reflection and research, she opened Be Conscious, her first business, just a year later. “One of the things that prompted me to open this project was how difficult it was for me to access sustainable products around me. It was something new at the time, even though the big stores were starting to bring out their own products that were difficult to compete with”.
The original idea was to create a store offering environmentally friendly products - cosmetics, household cleaning, bath and kitchen - but, with the arrival of the pandemic and the consequent restrictions, after a few months she was forced to close down. Noraya's determination, however, instead of fading, grew stronger: she wanted to find a way to help other women in their own growth and to find tools to feel better. “I had gone through a time of many changes, and this was a way to accompany and create community”.
With this humanistic and deeply sensitive vision, in 2024, she finally opened the doors of The Calma Concept, a store, but also a safe space and oasis, all at the same time, in which to share, chat, take care of oneself... and disconnect from the outside to connect with oneself. In short, a shelter in which to feel good and be able to grow.
“We have become individualistic, that feeling of tribe no longer exists. That's why I would like to promote being together and doing something for ourselves”.
Although the store opened only six months ago, its wooden shelves display, with millimetric neatness, carefully selected self-care, natural cosmetics and fashion items that belong to projects that share the same philosophy and, whenever possible, “in which there is one or more women behind”. Their proposal is made up of brands -difficult to find in Mallorca until now- such as P.F. Candle & Co candles, Meraki soaps or Rowse and Mamita Botanical cosmetics.
Cookbooks, natural medicine and spirituality, clothes made with natural fibers and products to enjoy a ritual of calm and connection at home complement a catalog created from a holistic perspective of well-being that is cultivated at home, but nurtured in company, because for Noraya, The Calma Concept is meant to be a space to meet with oneself and with others. “We have become individualistic, that feeling of tribe no longer exists. That's why I would like to promote being together and doing something for ourselves".
"I’ve even thought of a crochet club to meet and talk while we knit, as our grandmothers used to do and that we have lost along the way".
The need to get to know herself and change what did not fit the life she wanted to lead was the driving force behind someone who now longs to share what she has learned and create a place where other women feel comfortable and free to walk their own path and find the tools that she once lacked. In fact, it may be due to her own experience that the word community carries so much weight in her voice and in the business she has shaped. "I've even thought of a crochet club to get together and chat while we knit, like our grandmothers used to do and we've lost along the way”, she assures.
With this purpose in mind, from the beautiful premises she runs in Artà, she is already planning a calendar of workshops and talks that will begin in autumn. Workshops in which to make soaps or candles, share knowledge of natural medicine or talk about personal growth. A cross-cutting proposal faithful to the objective of The Calma Concept: to promote a healthier, responsible and sustainable lifestyle, with oneself and with the environment.
While we chat at the entrance of the store, a bright and welcoming place, somewhat removed from the bustle that reigns in the center of town in the summer, many neighbors come and go along the pedestrian street and stop to say hello to Noraya. They do it practically every day and well reflect the closeness she transmits in a calm pose while receiving her clientele, a public she defines as “very varied: people with curiosity, of very different ages, locals and tourists passing through, but who want to take care of themselves and are in a process of growth”.
Disconnecting from the outside and having our own spaces -private, but also shared- is vital so that dedicating time to love and care is no longer a claim or a kind of reward, but a commitment to ourselves, to our own well-being and that of others. After all, if there is something more beautiful than feeling good, it must be, without a doubt, to contribute to making our community feel that way too.
