Trader hopes new Camden frankincense shop will become ‘a brand like Starbucks’
Shebhaz Khan showing off raw frankincense from Oman on sale at the store. Picture: Polly Hancock. - Credit: Archant
The Romans invaded foreign lands in search of it and wise men brought it to Jesus Christ as a gift shortly after his birth.
Now one Camden trader claims to have founded the world’s first frankincense brand.
Shehbaz Khan, 35, founder of The Frankincense Store, celebrated the opening of the company’s second branch in the Stables Market, in Chalk Farm Road, Camden Town, on Saturday (February 9).
The new shop, located in the market’s basement, offers up to 20 different types of the ancient resin - famed for its aroma and holistic benefits - to wholesale buyers.
It follows the launch of Mr Khan’s first frankincense emporium upstairs in the main market in 2009, serving potions of the resin for consumption and incense for meditation and household scent.
“The idea of this second store is that it’s a knowledge centre, anyone can come and learn about frankincense,” said Mr Khan.
“I’ve made it into a bar so people can sit and learn about frankincense while they wait for their order.
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“It’s the only branded frankincense in the world. Look at Starbucks, they are a brand, that’s what I want this to be - an established frankincense brand.”
Mr Khan makes three trips a year to Oman and the mountainous regions near to the country’s capital Salalah in search of the finest frankincense known to man.
He then separates his stock by the colour, size and purity of the resins before offering it to customers in Camden.
Among the resins on offer at The Frankincense Store is Green Hojari, which is linked to combating cancer and comes with a price tag of £700 per kilogram.
“We’ve got some of the rarest resins in world,” said Mr Khan. “Don’t be surprised if you see it in Harrods by the end of the year.”
