Christina Richards said during these uncertain times, it’s important to find things to smile about.
On March 16, she made the decision to close the doors of her Uptown business, Sedona’s Tree House, out of her concern for the COVID-19 pandemic and recommendations for social distancing. Even though the previous couple months had been tough financially, she was looking forward to the spring, which is when business picks ups greatly.
“I could have sat on my couch thinking about everything that’s going on, but I would have lost my mind,” she said. “So, I decided to make the best of a bad situation.”
And from that the Food Fairy was born.
For the past several days Richards has been working with Sedona Gold Menus, which provides delivery for a variety of area restaurants. The company has eight drivers including five employees who had been recently laid-off by their restaurants.
Having used the service in the past, she offered to be a delivery person. But instead of dressing in casual wear, she dresses like a fairy — or a slight variation of one — donning colorful outfits, makeup and hair.
“I had all these different Halloween costumes and decided to make good use of them and become the Food Fairy,” Richards said. “If I can’t have my store open, I thought the least I could do is help out other small businesses. Plus, it gets me out of the house.”
Richards said she “cracked up” when she saw herself in the full fairy costume and hoped that others would have the same reaction. It’s worked.
“The reaction has been great,” she said. “I’ve never worked in the service industry, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I would go to someone’s house. When I do, I curtsy and say, ‘the Food Fairy is at your service,’ and I briefly explain — while adhering to social distancing — what I’m doing.
“Everyone has had big smiles and told me it’s such a great idea. If I can make one person smile, that makes me feel great.”
Earlier this week, after making a delivery, Richards stopped by Safeway to see her mom, who works there. While walking out, a young boy and his mom saw her from a distance.
“He was so ecstatic — waving and saying ‘hi’ to me,” she said. “I saw them again a short time later. The mom rolled down her window and the boy was again waving and was just so excited to see a fairy. Getting that kind of reaction made my day.”
