- Today on Austin InSight, for Valentine's Day a look at a uniquely Austin magical, musical comedy show perfect for date night.

- Plus a local candy shop is standing strong on South Congress, and getting some national recognition.

We'll take you there in our latest Authentically Austin segment.

Austin InSight starts right now.

- [Announcer] Support for Austin InSight comes from Sally and James Gavin, and also from Suerte, Este, and Bar Toti Restaurants, bringing Austin together around culinary excellence to celebrate creativity, conservation, and culture in Central Texas.

(bright music) (bright music continues) - Hi there and thank you so much for joining us.

I'm Danielle Banda.

- And I'm Laura Laughead.

Change, it's a constant theme in Austin, and with change comes challenges, like affordability, which is impacting many local businesses, especially in the evolving and increasingly expensive South Congress area.

- Some of you may remember a little under a year ago, three well-known local businesses shuttered in just the span of a month, Mi Casa, Good Company, and the Sunroom.

- But the small business spirit is still alive and well there, as you'll see in this Authentically Austin profile of a popular candy shop, still standing strong on South Congress.

From an antique soda fountain to chocolate-covered bacon, life is pretty sweet at the Big Top Candy Shop on South Congress.

In this edition of Authentically Austin, we're taking you inside the place recently crowned by Southern Living as the best candy shop in the state.

(candy rattling) (lively music) (popcorn popping) From popcorn (ice rattling) to old-fashioned floats and sodas.

That's probably the best Dr. Pepper I've ever had in my life.

To gummies, taffy, chocolate, old candy, new candy, international candy, and just plain what?

- Pickle flavored variety pack there.

There are these like thin- - Old flavor with this?

- It's a thin freeze dried pickle lollipop.

- [Laura] The Big Top Candy Shop on South Congress offers up more than 2,000 kinds of candy and a carousel of other creations.

- Cavalcade of confection and sweet treats and delicious delights.

Candy's for everyone.

- [Laura] Brandon Hodge is the ringmaster of this circus.

He says the store draws in thousands of customers a week.

- Are you all from here?

- Seattle.

- Seattle.

Okay, very cool.

- [Laura] They just hit their millionth sale in seven years.

Hodge founded the shop in 2007, so don't believe everything you see on the walls.

- Myself, our founder with Teddy Roosevelt.

- Wow.

- We were hunting giant Jelly Bellies on the Serengeti in 1909.

- This is before they were actually hunted to extinction, correct?

- Right, that's right.

Yeah.

Yeah, they're long, long gone.

- [Laura] But the store's claim to fame is chocolate-covered bacon.

They say they sold the first piece in the United States.

- Pretty simple, right?

It's two strips of bacon that are dipped and covered in chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt.

And that's a- - Nice hefty piece.

- There's no real trade secrets there.

- Okay, I'm going for it guys.

Okay.

I saw the vision.

I'm eating the vision.

I did not expect to like it, but I actually do like it.

(Brandon laughs) 11-year-old Finn and 8-year-old Wells come here once a month.

- I got a- - I got Twix, he got Kit Kat.

- No, I got a king super size Kit Kat.

- It's probably the best candy shop in Texas.

- [Laura] In fact, Finn is right.

In November, Southern Living Magazine named Big Top as the best candy shop in the state.

- That was an incredible, incredible honor.

- [Laura] However, lately business has been anything but a sugar rush.

- Right when small businesses were finally catching their breath post-pandemic, we finally were able to just breathe a little easier and then we started to see rent inflation and particularly cost inflation.

- Hodge is president of the South Congress Merchants Association.

Over the past 15 years, a number of local businesses have been priced out of the area as bigger corporations moved in, offering more money for the space and driving up rent by a triple digit increase.

- These high-end customers maybe aren't as interested in our funky little thing.

But there's still a fighting rebellious, scrappy organization of local merchants and small businesses down here.

- [Laura] As the store walks this financial tightrope, Hodge says Valentine's Day will bring a much welcome boost and hey, a trip for some candy might even help you find love too.

Like Big Top employees, Jana and Alex.

Our hands brushed on the soda bar.

- Yeah.

(both chuckles) - [Laura] They met while working here and have been dating for 2 1/2 years.

- It's the cliche of don't date your coworkers, but not this time.

This one worked out, so.

- But as a backup, the store does offer an alternative and apparently guys, if you are looking for that perfect man, he's right here.

He's sweet, he's decadently rich, he's made of milk chocolate, and the best part is he doesn't talk.

(bright music) You can truly find anything under the Big Top at the Big Top Candy Shop like a chocolate-covered boyfriend to candy that looks eerily too similar to rocks, to that diabolical pickle lollipop, truly anything.

But jokes aside about looking for love and what to do on Valentine's Day, whether you're in a happy relationship or single, it's important to extend some love to yourself, which can be easier said than done.

- Many mental health experts agree that self-love is an important foundation for all healthy relationships.

Whether romantic, familial, platonic, and even professional.

A positive outlook about yourself, including your self-esteem, can really help to enrich those connections that we share with other people.

To expand on that, professional life coach Grecia Karlsson joins us now with insights on how we can cultivate self-care and of course why it's crucial to love yourself first before opening up to others.

Welcome, Grecia.

- Thank you so much for having me, Danielle.

- Yeah, absolutely.

There's a lot to talk about here.

Valentine's Day is coming up.

To start, can you just explain a little bit about how self-love influences our ability to form and maintain healthy relationships with other people around us in our lives?

- Definitely.

Well, it sets the tone.

The way we love ourself sets the tone for how people are allowed to love us, to talk to us, to relate to us.

So it really is all connected and the deeper we can come to know and love ourselves, the more we allow that deep love and ultimately the quality of our life is in direct proportion to our quality of relationships, even the relationship with ourself.

So if you want a really enriching life, you're gonna have to do a little bit of work on coming to love yourself and that helps everyone around you as well.

- Yeah, and sometimes it can be hard to do, but it is all connected and we gotta focus on it.

So, what do you think are some common signs that we may be lacking in that self-love and also how can this impact our interactions with romantic partners, but as well as just people we care about in general?

- Yeah, so two of them that I can think of off the top of my head, the first one is one that I go through whenever I hit like a low in my self-love journey with a relationship with myself is not being able to take in compliments fully, right?

There's like a protector there saying like, hmm, it's not safe to really believe that, but that hurts everyone around us 'cause we are the only ones that can allow that gate to be open.

We're the gatekeepers to believe in our best self and our biggest dreams and all of that.

Makes sense to have the protectors so no shame there, but that's a sign that we should look at maybe our toolbox and reconnecting with things we love to do as a child and things like that to bring that playfulness back.

The second one is not being able to celebrate our friends when they're going through something big.

Feeling like jealousy or envy.

Again, compassion for that person, but it's really telling us that we haven't celebrated ourselves, our small wins every day.

We're not in connection with that.

So something to look at for sure.

- I really like that you said that 'cause sometimes when we do get compliments we kind of throw them back or oh no, it's nothing instead of fully accepting it.

So I really like that, it's a balance of that and humility.

So those are some really good tips.

Do you think that there are any other practical strategies or again, tips that you can share just so we can kind of learn a little bit more on how to incorporate these concepts into our every single day lives so that we can enhance that self-care and that self-love?

- For sure.

So, I came up with three tips that I feel like would build sustainable self-love.

- Okay.

- Right?

So the first one is gonna be to lower our expectations.

And I feel like that's not a common one to hear in the self-love world.

But the reason I say that is a lot of us come with the baggage of perfectionism from our childhood.

We are only worthy of love if we achieve, if we overachieve, right?

And if we look at the self-love journey as a certificate or something to graduate from, we're not really getting the point.

So I say we lower our expectations so that we can access curiosity and play, both of those foundational for any healthy relationship, especially the relationship with ourselves, right?

So lower the expectation, don't go for the degree in self-love.

- Yeah.

- Yeah and then the second one is gonna be to know who you're talking to.

- Oh yeah.

- Right?

So, I like to think of this as like think of a time when you were a young child who was scared and maybe you needed someone to advocate for your needs, maybe your sensitivities, or you needed someone to protect you, right?

That version of you still exists inside of you.

And when we're talking to ourselves in the mirror, when we're demeaning ourselves and being mean, ultimately that's who we're talking to.

We're still that person, we just grew taller, right?

So know who you're talking to and be kind to that version of you.

And the third one is gonna be to be patient with ourselves.

Again, it's a relationship, which means there will be rupture and there will require repair, right?

Just like any other relationship, it's gonna ebb and flow.

So, just be patient on the journey, just like you would for anybody else.

- Yeah, I really love that we cannot open ourselves up to loving others until we open ourselves up to loving and accepting ourselves.

And so all of that's so important.

How else do you think we can shift from that negative self-talk and just kind of have a more kindhearted way of thinking just to kind of wrap up and summarize what we really need to be thinking moving forward every Valentine's Day.

- For sure.

So, start any conversation with yourself with a part of me, right?

So a part of me feels like I'm not good enough.

A part of... What would the other parts say, a voice of love within you say?

A part of me feels like I am good enough that I was divinely made and created.

And that can go a long way in not identifying with the harsher parts, just giving space for everybody to speak within you.

- That is beautiful.

It's so hard to do sometimes because life happens, but it's an important conversation to have not just on Valentine's Day, but every single day of our lives so that we can live a really loving and fulfilling life.

So, thank you so much for this helpful information and let's just all remember that self-love is not just a seasonal sentiment, it's a lifelong commitment.

And so we really appreciate your advice on self-care.

You can follow Grecia on Instagram @greciakarlsson.lifecoach.

(uptempo music) (uptempo music continues) (uptempo music continues) (uptempo music continues) - It is really true.

Relationships are the cornerstone of having a fulfilling life.

And whether romantic or just friendly, they can sometimes come from unexpected places like coworkers Jana and Alex at the Big Top Candy Shop or like the relationship in our next story, which in this case is not romantic, it's definitely still magical.

- That's right.

Esther's Follies, the beloved local vaudeville comedy theater show features a dynamic duo at center stage proving that the perfect partnership isn't only about romance, rather about chemistry, laughs, and a touch of entertainment.

Esther's Follies claims to be the longest running musical, magical, political theater show in the country, appropriately opening on April Fool's day, way back in 1977.

I had the chance to drop by their location for a behind the scenes peek behind the curtain to learn all about what makes them such a great team.

- [Ray] Okay.

Is that all good?

- [Ellana] For the jump?

- Yeah, for the jump.

- Yeah, yeah.

- But don't do the jump like as we always do.

- [Danielle] Esther's Follies has been in Austin for nearly 46 years.

They're home to an almost 50-year comedy show that's been entertaining locals and tourists on 6th Street.

In addition to fast-paced sketch comedy, Esther's is known for its in-house magician, legendary award-winning Ray Anderson.

- I got a magic set for Christmas when I was in the third grade, if you can believe that and I had asked for a doctor's kit, but instead I got a magic set 'cause they were out of doctor's kits.

Much to my parents dismay later on in life.

(chuckles) - [Ellana] I know I was watching that too.

- This is where the most of the danger is.

I just fell in love with it.

From the moment I opened up that box, I had an aptitude for it.

It was something I was good at, it came to me very easily.

And by the time I was 10 years old, I was already doing shows in my garage for the kids in the neighborhood.

And it's really the only thing, the only passion in my life that I've ever had.

- [Danielle] In a world full of stress, magic and comedy offer the ultimate escape reminding us to laugh, dream, and believe in little everyday wonder.

- There's something very special about magic that's different than really any other art form for the stage.

It creates a sense of wonder unlike really anything else.

I mean, there are other things in theater that create a sense of wonder, but not quite the same as magic.

There's nothing better than looking out into the audience and seeing someone's jaw drop onto the floor because of something that you're doing to entertain them.

Okay, so this time when we do it.

- Yeah.

- [Danielle] Anderson is known for pulling off large scale illusions built by the same set designers who create illusions for David Copperfield and other popular Las Vegas acts.

- It's the intangible energetic exchange that happens with the audience, especially as Ray said, when they see the illusions come to completion and the the awe in their eyes and that sustaining of disbelief, the illusion of it.

I really love that, those moments.

You feel so alive and you feel so connected to people you don't know 'cause you're sharing this moment.

- [Danielle] His relationship with his muse, Ellana Kelter, and the trust and care that comes from working together in sometimes very dangerous physical circumstances makes for a close relationship that many in the audience often mistake for a romantic partnership.

They each have their own romantic relationships, but the partnership they display at work is full of undeniable professional chemistry.

- We sort of fall in love on stage every night.

- Yeah, yeah.

- And I think that's why a lot of times people think that we're a couple.

- Yeah.

- [Ray] But we have our own relationships and we're both married to other people.

- [Ellana] Yeah.

- But- - Yeah, we do get that a lot.

- But I think that's a huge compliment when people think that we're, they just assume that we're a couple because that means we've done our job right and they believe the illusion.

- [Danielle] The magician and his muse are the ultimate work husband and wife dazzling audience members with their perfectly timed comedic strategy.

It's a spell binding partnership weaving together love for the job, laughter for spectators, and a little magic into unforgettable performances.

- Our most beautiful, shocking illusion was a levitation over a fountain of water.

It was so gorgeous and people could see me rise from the, I mean, it was just beautiful.

And there is an element of absolute trust, which we've always had from the moment we began working with one another.

Whether it's a grip of a hand or even a moment where, we're human with bodies.

You know, I had a knee that dislocated and you were able to help me get it and continue the trick.

I mean like there's just absolute trust and it's through our eye contact, it's through little touches that we either have planned or not planned that then just become a part of the routine in making sure everything is flawless.

- Whether you're with your soulmate or just a great partner in crime, let the magic of Esther's Follies remind you that the best duos always know how to steal the show together.

(whimsical music) This was such a fun story with a lesson about relationships and trust.

Esther's Follies is live on stage each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening at their location on East 6th Street downtown.

(bright music) - Next we're introducing you to a local carpenter and designer who's using her creativity to help fight hunger in our community.

Her project is thanks in part, to a city grant program.

Joining us now is Natalia Lee of Shine City Makers and Matthew Schmidt, Acting Cultural Arts Director for the City of Austin.

Thank you both for being here.

- Thanks for having us.

- Thank you.

- So let's start with Natalia.

So last year you collaborated with several local artists on a community project to create free food stands or what you call Puestos.

Tell us about these, what are they exactly?

- Yeah, so somebody shared the post with me about the grant and I had been inspired by the folks at ATX Free Fridge and at Nixta Taqueria.

They host a refrigerator that allows folks to donate and pick up food as they need and as they please.

But it is sort of a large thing to take on hosting a refrigerator.

You have to pay for the electricity, keep it clean, et cetera.

And so, I had the idea of essentially co-opting lending libraries where people could leave dry food, dry goods, canned food so that it wouldn't spoil.

Hosts didn't have to take on the burden of maintaining a refrigerator and then we could have local artists decorate them.

- And what's been the response to your project so far?

- It's been great.

People have really taken them on in their communities.

They're throughout Austin.

We tried to do, make sure that they were in sort of north, south, east, west, and central.

And folks have really loved them.

Yeah, I think it's just a really accessible way to participate in your community and provide for your neighbors.

- And how can the people at home hearing about your mission, how can they best support you all?

- I think if you drive by one, just, it's so easy to go to a grocery store and pick up an extra can of beans or soup, whatever and just leave one in one of the Puestos.

- And it's so important and so much work that people may not realize goes into doing something that you're doing.

And Natalia, we just wanna make a quick note that we are already familiar with your talents here at Austin PBS, because you are actually the set designer and builder for our award winning series "Taco Mafia."

And if anyone's seen it, you know just how amazing that was.

- Yeah, that was a really special experience as well.

- And so, now let's talk about the City of Austin's Nexus Grant program, which helped fund your project, Natalia.

So Matthew, what is the purpose of the Nexus Grant Program and how long has it been in place?

- Absolutely.

The Nexus grant program has been in place for three years.

The City of Austin went through a cultural funding review and really built this program with community to focus on equity measures, to redistribute funding into community and focus on emerging artists to reinvest and focus on their dreams to bring their artistic expression to life.

And so, this program really helps artists access city funding for the first time, and it's small grants to ensure that they're able to distribute that throughout the year and bring community projects that give back out to community as well.

- The list of past recipients includes a wide variety of creators, artists, and organizations.

What are some of the key things that you guys look for when you're considering grant recipients?

- Sure.

The way that we're evaluating applications is really looking at the quality of the application.

And the way we really tried to make changes to the application is make it easier for our applicants.

So we started doing multiple choice applications, so we made automated scoring and we're looking at just ways to ensure that the applicant is providing a really great artistic expression for themselves.

And if they want to increase our understanding of their application, they can provide optional expressions of their work as well in their attachments.

- And I know the number of recipients has grown in the last year.

- Absolutely.

We've continuously seen increased participation in the program.

Of course, we have a restricted amount of funding.

We're expecting to be able to distribute a hundred awards of 5,000.

The awards are 5,000 per award for most likely a hundred.

So we have a $500,000 award funding limit for the Nexus program.

And we're always of course looking to just invite more applicants into the program as much as possible.

- And Natalia of course is a great example of everything you just said.

So how can people apply?

- Interested applicants can visit our website, austintexas.gov/nexus to find our links to our applications.

They can also attend our workshops.

We have an upcoming workshop on March 3rd from one to three at the DeWitty Center where you can meet our fabulous staff, which will be providing wonderful assistance to applicants that it will be step by step assistance through the application process.

And they're also available 24, I mean not 24/7, but pretty much 24/7 in their office hours available to our applicants to step through those applications for them as well.

- Okay, y'all are constantly looking.

- [Matthew] Yeah, constantly.

- And what was it about Natalia's idea that really stood out to you all?

- I think Natalia's, especially the fact that they're giving back to community as well, the integration of a project that is giving into community as well as that artistic expression as well, that combination is what brought that project up to the top.

- And Natalia, can you talk about your journey from pitching it to in your inspiration to executing it?

What's this journey been like for you on your end?

- Well, I think what I really liked about this program was that it's pretty flexible in what you can apply for.

You can really kind of take your own idea, your own vision and apply it to this grant.

And I had a, it was fun to, I'm kind of a nerd about this thing and I like to write and so I had a great time writing it and I attended the workshop.

It was a really easy process.

And then throughout as I had questions or needed guidance on anything, the folks on the grant staff were really easy to work with, super attentive.

And I just think it's cool to be able to take any little idea you have and apply it towards this.

And I don't know, it's cool to see it come to fruition.

- Oh, I have no doubt.

And why is it important for projects like this community-based, you said giving back to the community.

Why is it so important now more than ever to have projects like this?

- I mean, community is everything.

We feed each other, we clothe each other, we house each other.

Regardless of what is going on in the world if you have a strong community around you, I think you can sort of overcome any difficulties.

And again, what I think makes this project so accessible is that just one person with an idea can apply for it.

You don't have to have this grant writing team behind you or a huge network, but if you have a community that you care about and an idea, you can apply for this.

- And I feel like that's historically what hinders a lot of people is you think, oh no, I'm not eligible for this.

It's like imposter syndrome.

You feel like you need a team, you need backing, you need all of this fame and fortune and funders behind you.

But no, just anyone with an idea can go out and give back to the community that gave to them, right?

- Exactly.

- Absolutely.

This is that next step.

This is that first step for artists to really get into the game of grants and really start to build their foundation of funding and take that next step into their artistic expressions, and hopefully build out their network into building their creative industry.

- Well, we cannot wait to see all the recipients this time around.

Thank you so much to both of you for helping us learn about the city's Nexus Grant program.

- Thank you for having us.

- Thank you.

(uptempo music) (uptempo music continues) (uptempo music continues) - Well, that's all for today's show, but be sure to tune in again next week, Thursday at 7:00 p.m. - And don't forget, you can always watch each episode for free in your PBS app.

We'll see you then.

(bright music) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) - [Announcer] Support for Austin InSight comes from Sally and James Gavin, and also from Suerte, Este, and Bar Toti Restaurants, bringing Austin together around culinary excellence to celebrate creativity, conservation, and culture in Central Texas.

(playful music)