Bleak Boutique

10/17/2026

These collab candles with Sawdust City Candle Co are disappearing fast. Cauldron of Thorns: SOLD OUT. Final Harvest: 1 left. Call of the Coven: 1 left. Grab yours online for pickup or shipping before they’re gone.

10/16/2026

Fall’s sweetest spell just got stronger. All Hallows Eve now comes as a room & body spray and roll‑on perfume — warm pumpkin, spiced cake, and sugar swirling like a decadent October night. Mist generously. Indulge shamelessly. 🖤🎃

Available in store and online.

10/13/2026

The veil is thinning… and something beautifully dark has arrived.

Introducing our Limited Run Fall Candle Collection, handcrafted in collaboration with Sawdust City Candle Co. Each candle is hand‑poured with 100% natural soy wax, a crackling wood wick, and premium fragrance oils for an unforgettable scent throw. Housed in matte black glass with a metallic gold lid and gift‑ready packaging, these candles are as luxurious as they are enchanting.

Step into the season with eight moody, autumnal scents:
🕯 Cauldron of Thorns — spiced smoke, ritual wood, ember‑lit magic
🕯 Catacombs — damp stone, moss‑softened wood, centuries at rest
🕯 Final Harvest — crisp, herbal, quietly electric
🕯 All Hallows’ Eve — warm spice, wood, soil, lingering enchantment
🕯 Crone Dance — sweetened smoke and quiet magic
🕯 Eyes Like Nightshade — dark, velvety, dangerously beautiful
🕯 Call of the Coven — peppercorn, sage, moss, patchouli, balsam
🕯 The Sweetest Curse — luscious, shadow‑kissed, irresistibly tempting

This is a limited collaboration—once these candles cross the veil, they won’t return.

Available now at Bleak Boutique online or in store.

09/26/2026

09/25/2026

I got hit with a wave of nostalgia in my inbox this morning. Elder Goths are still out there practicing the old ways: telling other people what is and isn't Goth based solely on their narrow, personal definition.

09/24/2026

Another article in case you're not tired of hearing about us yet.

Thank you again to Grace from Humans of Oshkosh for telling our story.

JEN: “We met on OKCupid. This is how long ago it was. It turns out that we’d always been in proximity to each other. We’d seen each other at shows or concerts. We’d always been kind of around at the same time, but we were never introduced. We were talking for probably the better part of a year before we actually met in person, even though we lived less than two miles away from each other.”

SEAN: “We finally met up close to Valentine’s Day in 2013. We scheduled some low-key dates around town, just having conversations and getting together. Then we started hanging out constantly. We’d been through a lot together, and then in 2016, Jen was diagnosed with melanoma. At first, they couldn’t stage it because it was over her wrist. We had several months from the surgery to the final diagnosis that it hadn’t spread. When you’re faced with cancer and you don’t know if it’s going to be stage one or stage four, it really makes you think about your future. knew from then I was ready to commit and be in this forever. Jen is the one for me.”

JEN: “I had been married before when I was very, very young, and it put me off getting married for a very long time. I had a hang-up about it. Sean, again, because he’s the best person in the world, didn’t hold me to it or anything. He had always been like, ‘I’ll get married whenever. Just say the word.’”

SEAN: “There was no rush. We could make our own pace because we’ve got the rest of time to figure this out.”

JEN: “We were together for almost 10 years before we got married. We even started telling people we were married before we were married because it was just so embarrassing how long we’d been together. Finally, I was kind of like, ‘Okay, so we own a house and a business. We should probably just get married because legally we might as well be.’ I was the one who finally said, ‘Do you wanna just go get married?’ So really romantic.”

SEAN: “I was overjoyed.”

JEN: “We got married in January 2023.”

SEAN: “We are each other’s better halves. We just work so well together. We can always tell when the other is getting a little burnt out or crispy, and we’ll swap in and take over. We work to better not just ourselves, but each other.”

Grace’s Note: You’ve met Jen and Sean separately. Jen shared how being the “weird kid” eventually helped shape Bleak Boutique, and last month Sean shared the story of leaving home at 15 and heading to California. Today, they’re telling their story together: how they found each other, faced some scary unknowns and, after nearly 10 years, finally decided they might as well get married.

As part of my storytelling partnership with Discover Oshkosh, I also sat down with Jen to talk more about Bleak Boutique and how the business grew from a 10-by-10 tent at outdoor markets into its home on Main Street in downtown Oshkosh.

You can read my full Q&A with Jen on Discover Oshkosh here:

09/24/2026

JEN: “We met on OKCupid. This is how long ago it was. It turns out that we’d always been in proximity to each other. We’d seen each other at shows or concerts. We’d always been kind of around at the same time, but we were never introduced. We were talking for probably the better part of a year before we actually met in person, even though we lived less than two miles away from each other.”

SEAN: “We finally met up close to Valentine’s Day in 2013. We scheduled some low-key dates around town, just having conversations and getting together. Then we started hanging out constantly. We’d been through a lot together, and then in 2016, Jen was diagnosed with melanoma. At first, they couldn’t stage it because it was over her wrist. We had several months from the surgery to the final diagnosis that it hadn’t spread. When you’re faced with cancer and you don’t know if it’s going to be stage one or stage four, it really makes you think about your future. knew from then I was ready to commit and be in this forever. Jen is the one for me.”

JEN: “I had been married before when I was very, very young, and it put me off getting married for a very long time. I had a hang-up about it. Sean, again, because he’s the best person in the world, didn’t hold me to it or anything. He had always been like, ‘I’ll get married whenever. Just say the word.’”

SEAN: “There was no rush. We could make our own pace because we’ve got the rest of time to figure this out.”

JEN: “We were together for almost 10 years before we got married. We even started telling people we were married before we were married because it was just so embarrassing how long we’d been together. Finally, I was kind of like, ‘Okay, so we own a house and a business. We should probably just get married because legally we might as well be.’ I was the one who finally said, ‘Do you wanna just go get married?’ So really romantic.”

SEAN: “I was overjoyed.”

JEN: “We got married in January 2023.”

SEAN: “We are each other’s better halves. We just work so well together. We can always tell when the other is getting a little burnt out or crispy, and we’ll swap in and take over. We work to better not just ourselves, but each other.”

Grace’s Note: You’ve met Jen and Sean separately. Jen shared how being the “weird kid” eventually helped shape Bleak Boutique, and last month Sean shared the story of leaving home at 15 and heading to California. Today, they’re telling their story together: how they found each other, faced some scary unknowns and, after nearly 10 years, finally decided they might as well get married.

As part of my storytelling partnership with Discover Oshkosh, I also sat down with Jen to talk more about Bleak Boutique and how the business grew from a 10-by-10 tent at outdoor markets into its home on Main Street in downtown Oshkosh.

You can read my full Q&A with Jen on Discover Oshkosh here:

09/23/2026

We're still looking to host an artist during the October 3rd Oshkosh Gallery Walk!

Contact us ASAP if you're an established artist/maker/crafter and would like to sell your wares in the Parlor at Bleak Boutique during the hours of the October Gallery Walk.

Dark, gothic, fall, Halloween, spooky, etc. art/items preferred!

Tag your page in the comments or email [email protected] with your info and some pictures of your work.