Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie and Amy.
Hi Stephanie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Christopher Kelly began as an idea between me (Stephanie Paine) and my cousin (Amy Gillick), to create our own candles, where we knew exactly what ingredients were going into them. There are a lot of candles from big box companies, and you have no idea what waxes, chemicals, etc. they are made with. We both love burning candles in our homes, and scent is such an important sense! Scent memories last incredibly long, so creating a fragrance to commemorate a happy moment was important to us. We researched companies to work with and tested many waxes before settling on a coconut-soy blend and wooden wicks. Wooden wicks are higher maintenance, but burn slower and lower, to help your candle last longer and release less soot into your home. Coconut wax is incredibly eco-friendly and melts beautifully with the wooden wicks. We use only non-toxic oils and natural essential oil blends to create our fragrances.
We named our company after two very important people, our Grandma Kelly, and Amy’s brother, Christopher. Grandma Kelly was an avid gardener, and regular volunteer at Missouri Botanical Garden all her life. We donated to MoBot for every purchase of the floral-scented Kelly candle. The Christopher candle has a light, vanilla, and musk scent for a clean and happy vibe. Christopher passed away from a brain tumor when he was a child, and we donate to Cardinal Glennon’s Children’s Hospital in his honor.
We started selling the candles during the holidays of 2020 and things really took off quickly! Our Signature Scents followed, and we now create fun Seasonal Scents as well. We love supporting other small businesses, and creating special scents for everyone to enjoy!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When we first began testing waxes, wicks, and oils, we quickly discovered there is a lot more to it than just pouring everything together and hoping for the best. There is a science to candle-making, with waxes and oils having different needs to create candles that burn smoothly and cleanly. It took us about six months to perfect our signature scent candle recipes. We go through the process seasonally as well. Choosing our name was the easiest part!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Amy is an early childhood teacher and natural caregiver. Her favorite part of the candle business is putting the finishing touches on the candles and getting to work alongside her best friend/cousin! Twilight Forest is her favorite scent.
Stephanie is a writer and event planner by trade. She enjoys creating the new scents and writing up little stories/blurbs for them. All Hallows’ Eve is her favorite scent.
We both love creating a product that is eco-friendly and fully recyclable, from the glass jars to the paper products and bubble wrap. It’s important to us that our product is not a burden on the environment. We are very proud of our small business in that way.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
We were both born and raised in St. Louis and proud of our city! The STL food scene is actually awesome here! And the number of small businesses is growing yearly, creating a really eclectic market. We are both big St. Louis Blues fans too!
I think we can both agree our least favorite thing about STL is the humidity!
Pricing:
- Seasonal Scents are $20
- Signature Scents are $20
- Specialty Scents, The Christopher and The Kelly are $23
Contact Info:
- Email: info@christopherkellycandles.com
- Website: www.christopherkellycandles.com
- Instagram: @christopherkellycandleco
- Facebook: @christopherkellycandleco
Image Credits
Keri Godfrey
