Today we’d like to introduce you to Hattie Greene.
Hi Hattie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I began making candles out of boredom hilariously enough, plus deep desperation to find a hobby I could turn into a passion. I grew up going to the Memphis Farmers Market every Saturday where my parents, a musical duo, would play.
During the hours I spent there, I would take walks around the venue admiring all the local artists and crafts. I worked a bit assisting a local florist, we began to form a friendship and I started to create floral bouquets almost every weekend.
I carry this memory with me to this present day, it was one of my main inspirations for turning my little hobby into a business. I thought if I could turn something as peaceful as picking flowers into art, I could turn my love for relaxing in a candle-lit home into a business.
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?
My journey as a small business owner has been relatively smooth since I began, I try to keep my focus on enjoying the ride and making sure I don’t lose the joy and sense of purpose I felt when I made my first batch of candles.
The idea of someone owning something I made is crazy to me. As I have begun to slowly grow and fill my schedule with markets and pop-up events each month, I have realized how much time, effort, and hustle it takes for any small business owner to do what they do.
I am motivated by each and every new small business owner I meet, and I don’t let a few dropped candles or bad scents put me down.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I would say the most unique aspect of my business is the vessels I create my candles in. I source all of my vessels from thrift stores around town.
I also offer a donation service where people can send in their unwanted glassware to be turned into one-of-a-kind candles, along with a refill service where customers can send in the melted down candles to be cleaned out and re-filled with a new scent of their choosing!
I do my best to run this business in a sustainable fashion. I’d say, that’s one of the main things I am proud of.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I have never heavily relied on the help of books, blogs, or podcasts as much as I do on real-life experience and observation. I have always been more of an introverted person. I am most comfortable observing the world around me and those in it and learning from what I see, both positive and negative things.
Only in the last 2 to 3 years have I felt that I have slowly but surely gathered a sense of who I am and who I want to be. I do a lot of deep reflection on my past selves and the ways I have acted or reacted and how I can learn from that in order to be more well-rounded, intuitive, and a positive force for myself and those around me.
I carry these morals with me every day, and I like to think each batch of candles represents a specific week or stage in my life, and as I grow into a better person, each batch becomes better quality.
Contact Info:
- Email: stinkycocandles@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StinkyCoCandlesShop?ref=profile_header
- Instagram: @stinkycocandles
