ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Cassie Mrotek is sitting at the end of a table, using a dropper to count 45 drops of essential oil for her aura spray into a small, frosted glass bottle.

“So this is what I consider my spells and potions over here,” Mrotek explained.

She is preparing her aura sprays for Localtopia — adding tiny stones.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 300 small businesses are expected at Localtopia

  • About 30,000 people are expected to attend the event this weekend

  • Localtopia will be held in Williams Park in St. Petersburg

  • Localtopia is Saturday, Feb. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a Feb. 19 rain date

“And then the next one I’m going to put in is amethyst for calming meditation, tranquility,” Mrotek said. “So really the idea behind this is everything that surrounds you for love, your self-love.”

She’ll be one of the more than 300 St. Pete small businesses in Williams Park for the estimated 30,000 people that will be at the weekend celebration.

A hair stylist by trade, she’s been developing and tweaking self-care products for 15 years, testing bath soaks on herself, friends, clients and now customers for Localtopia.

“I’m right now just an online business,” Mrotek said. “So if I don’t have a place to meet people and test things out, I’m never gonna really know what they think.”

Last year, she took the leap to make this her full-time job.

So for Mrotek, Localtopia was and is a game-changer.

“One of my first years in business, I was able to participate in Localtopia, and that was the best sales day I’ve ever had in business,” Mrotek said.

These festivals do more than just help small businesses for one day. They help them meet and collaborate with one another.

Mrotek uses a shared space at The Body Electric Yoga and Athletic Companies sometimes, and her products are there all the time.

“I think the people at Body Electric know when I come in I’m probably going to take a picture of things,” Mrotek said. “I’m also honored to make them their own line of products.”

There’s more. Mrotek is getting ready to seal the deal on her own warehouse space this spring, hoping to also help and hire other makers.

“For me, it’s like self-care for myself. I realize creating the products, the act in it, helps me,” Mrotek said. “It helps me take a moment and breathe. It helps me think about what is life. What does it all mean?”

For Mrotek, life’s about healing and helping her community, one spray and one soak at a time.