Hahna Luna arrived on Whidbey Island a broke and shattered woman. She left her home and comfortable lifestyle in a hurry, staying in a northern California women’s shelter with her children before deciding where to restart her life.
She had visited Langley and a South Whidbey retreat center during her former upper middle-class life and fell in love with the island’s tranquility and artistic vibe. So she packed up her three young sons and left behind her longtime roots in the San Francisco Bay area.
“It was May 2016 and I came in a 1987 RV with $60 to my name, bankrupt and fresh out of a domestic violence shelter,” Luna said. “I wanted to be a in a community that cares and this community really, really cares.”
Today, Luna is a fairy full of magic.
She regularly performs at children’s birthday parties with her sidekicks, Sebastian the white bunny and Phoenix the bearded dragon. She has multiple magician characters — such as Time Traveler, Owl Super Hero and Unicorn Magic — to weave into her presentations, all with different costumes and geared toward different age groups.
Her business, called Fairy Magic, is not just a fun show for kids, but also an educational one wrapped in a message of kindness and self awareness.
Sunday at 2 p.m., she’s performing a 45-minute stage show at Whidbey Children’s Theater that’s being videotaped as a promotional tool. Her Wizard Magic Show, suitable for families, particularly children ages 3 to 8, is open to the public with a suggested donation of $20 per family, $8 for individuals.
It’s a way to raise funds and spread the word about her business and brand and the Youtube channel she’s launched.
“I create these little Youtube videos. Our kids will listen to other people more than their parents,” Luna said, “and they’ll especially listen to a character that wowed them.”
Luna dubs it “social emotional learning.” She offers short lessons about gratitude, empathy, kindness and compassion. Some of the Youtube segment topics in progress include accomplishing a reading goal, caring for a loved one who is ill, sleep is gold, water is magic and playground etiquette.
Luna is looking for subscribers to get that part of her multi-faceted enterprise off the ground with a goal of adding books and merchandise. The subscription is free and people receive email alerts when there are new videos. Advertising sponsors are needed to pay production costs.
“I want it to be a positive media channel,” she said.
Luna has become known around South Whidbey as a woman of many characters and costume changes. (Contributed photo)
Luna has become known around South Whidbey as a woman of many characters and costume changes. She’s set up her purple booth at various events, including performing on the lawn in front of South Whidbey Community Center with Phoenix her dragon.
“The kids were mesmerized by her performance,” said Gail LaVasser, who oversees operations at the center. “Her ability to weave compassion and kindness toward others in with a delightful magic show is a winning act.”
LaVasser, executive director of Readiness to Learn Foundation, met Luna when she first arrived, humbled and in need of help she never dreamed of using — food banks, free school lunches, counseling for her kids.
Whidbey’s abundance of nonprofit organizations keep her afloat, Luna said, as she pursues her dream of establishing a solid, successful business of magic. She’s also hustled working various jobs — cleaning buildings, serving wine —to earn enough money for a down payment on rental property in Clinton.
Luna also consulted various Whidbey and Seattle resources devoted to entrepreneurship, eventually leading a discussion on how she leveraged micro loans and developed her brand and clientele. Most of her business for children’s’ parties comes from bookings in east Seattle homes. She’s been hired by Seattle Children’s Museum and Indoor Play Space in downtown Seattle.
George Henny, CEO of WhidbeyTelcom, and Chuck Pettis of Earth Sanctuary and Branding Solutions Inc. were especially helpful in advising her, Luna said.
“I had to have a sustainable business model and put in one year proof of concept,” she said. “They spent hours advising me. It is extremely overwhelming, but I have so many loving people cheering me on.”
Graphic artist Mark Thrapp has been her main creative collaborator with production development and IT support.
Recently, Luna made herself into a winter fairy, dressed in frilly white, as she greeted people coming off the Clipper Christmas ship for a day of Langley shopping. She delighted adults and kids with a simple deck of cards before pulling out the ace up her sleeve, her fussy white rabbit.
But whatever her disguise or setting, Luna leans into her message of magic. Online reviews rave about her ability to entertain, educate and delight. She credits Mary Poppins, Mr. Rogers and Lucille Ball as the inspiration for the creation of her her magic style that she calls an innovative performing art medium.
“I learned my first magic trick at 8 years old,” Luna said. After her dad took her to Lake Tahoe to see David Copperfield, she was hooked.
“I always sought out magic shows and magic shops,” Luna said. “There’s magic all around and that’s what I love to teach to children.”
If you go
Wizard Magic Show: 2 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 13 at Whidbey Children’s Theater, Langley. Suitable for families, particularly children ages 3 to 8. Suggested donation of $20 per family, $8 for individuals. More information: https://fairymagicalentertainment.com/
This story originally appeared in the South Whidbey Record, a sibling paper of The Daily Herald.
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