Rising costs cast dark spell on beloved Witch Baby Soap store

Chelsea Selby, who calls herself a witch, is also a businesswoman and a mother.

Back in 2013, with a new baby and no money in her bank account, she did the impossible under those circumstances.

From broke mom to booming witchy brand

She started her own business. Of course, she started in October of that year, the spooky season, because…duh.

With a bachelor’s degree in alternative medicine and a love of bath and beauty products, and being a witch, she began making Witch Baby Soap. She couldn’t find cruelty-free paraben and sulfate-free bath and body products she liked, so she started a line of her own.

Witch Baby’s rise — and sudden fall

She hand-makes her products out of a manufacturing facility in Roselle Park, but six years ago, she expanded to a brick-and-mortar shop in Cranford.

There on Eastman Street for more than half a decade, she ran Witch Baby, a store that not only carried her Witch Baby Soap products but also other witchy offerings like games and love potions.

MORE: Of all NJ’s homegrown brands, this is the most beloved

The storefront overhead finally got to be too much, and sadly, the shop closed down this month.

Selby said it had a lot to do with rising electric bills as well as tariffs. The store closed permanently on Sunday night, according to News12 New Jersey.

What’s next for Witch Baby Soap?

Selby, or the town witch as she calls herself, says her products will still be available online through their website and that they’re also looking into building a pickup area at the Roselle Park facility.

Too bad there wasn’t a magic spell to ward off electric rate hikes.