Lawrence Township Resident Goes Back to Her Roots

Lawrence Township resident Michelle Sparck, who grew up in Alaska with her triplet sisters, Amy and Cika, regularly journeys to the remote Alaskan tundra by small plane, boat, all-terrain-vehicle and foot for what she calls "wild harvesting" of crowberry, fireweed blossoms and Arctic sage (also known as wormwood).

These wildflowers are key ingredients in an anti-aging skin serum the sisters created and which they named Quyung-Lii, which means “The Potent One" in the Cup'-ik Eskimo language.

"The crowberry, fireweed blossoms and Arctic sage fill a nutritional gap that make the serum beneficial," Michelle Sparck explained in a recent interview with Lawrenceville Patch. "Also used in the manufacture of the serum is Alaskan glacier water and cold-pressed extra virgin salmon oil that has no scent or color." 

Once transported to New Jersey, the Alaskan ingredients are used to manufacture the serum in a factory in Edison.

Quyung-Lii can be purchased from the Sparck sisters' website, www.arxotica.com.

"We're test-marketing three other skin-care products now – a moisturizer, a cleanser and a toner," Michelle Sparck said.  "When the market responds favorably, we'll come out with those products in addition to Quyung-Lii."

Michelle Sparck lives in Lawrence with her husband and two children.

She grew up in Bethel, Alaska, about 400 air miles west of Anchorage. With a population of 6,000, "that's a big town by Alaskan standards," she said.

After graduating from American University in Washington D.C. with a degree in international affairs, she remained in the nation’s capital for another 12 years, working for the late Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens for five years and Alaskan Congressman Don Young for seven years. She then moved to Lawrence.

"I've always kept my Alaskan ties," she said. "I've kept my family home there. I worked on native Alaskan issues while I was in Washington."

Her inspiration to start Arxotica was the sight of the famous "Trenton Makes, The World Takes" sign the Lower Free Bridge that spans the Delaware River to connect Trenton with Morrisville, Pa.

"That sign really resonated with me," she said.  "It made me want to make a New Jersey-Alaska connection work for my family."

Her sister Cika still lives in Alaska, in Anchorage, while their other sister Amy recently moved from Alaska to West Virginia when her husband, who is in the Air Force, was transferred to a base there.

"Our goal is to create a growth industry for the people who live in the tundra," she said.  "They could make a living, picking the materials we need, while still living in their homeland.  So far, it's still just a family effort.  My sisters and I are doing all the picking now.  I go up there regularly to work with them."

To help kick-start their business venture, the Sparck sisters used $90,000 in prize money they won after they submitted a business proposal to a contest run by the Alaskan Federation of Natives, which works with the World Bank on developing programs to help entrepreneurs in rural areas.

So how does this native of the Far North find Lawrence Township? 

"It's a lot different, but I really like a lot of things about living here," she said.  "All is at your fingertips.  You only need to go a short distance to get anything you need.  In Alaska, you sometimes have to go quite far.  One of the first things I noticed about New Jersey is how good the produce is here.  I love going to the grocery stores and farmers markets.  The food is so good, and it's a lot easier to get to than the tundra. But I love doing that, too. It's a special thing, a special kind of adventure."