Today we’d like to introduce you to Meg Prewitt
Hi Meg, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always had a love for in-home fragrance and candles. I think smell can completely transform your atmosphere. Years ago I bought a really popular brand and the average cost of a candle was around $25 to $30. The more I burned these candles, there was a lot of black soot, and wasted wax that tunneled. It was a disappointment to spend money on something I didn’t enjoy. One day, my husband said, “Lets go buy a candle making kit and try to make some.” So Thursday nghts in our kitchen became craft night, where we quickly learned that candle making was no easy task. In fact, I keep the very first candles we ever created as a reminder of how far we’ve come! Over time, I tested new wicks, waxes, ratios, jars etc until I finally felt confident to gift to friends and family. Then they encouraged me to try and get in a few stores. Shannon Davis (now Brock) gave me my first retail shelves at Davis art studio in Knoxville. I then expanded to Grow salon and other local businesses. with my husband’s help, we created branding and a website, which I ship nationwide today. Fast forward to owning a gift shop for four years in the Solway area where I supported other local makers and artisans. I then won a small business contest during covid with Howie Mandel, collaborated on Smell Good. Do Good. with celebrities like Kym Douglas and Jill Wagner and have experienced some great partnerships with local businesses like Cruze Farm and athlete John Fulkerson. After moving homes in 2023, I could not keep the location of the gift shop because of distance and moved the business home where I still hand-pour and produce our products. Last year was one of my busiest years and I am just getting started!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think gaining momentum for any business is easy. Your product is always evolving, you are learning, your business has to stay relevant on social media, and a slew of challenges. Production and scale have been a challenge. I hand pour everything and when I receive really large orders, it may take me a few days to complete, but I always want to have hand poured integrity in our products, that is important to me. I do have a few people trained now and that is a big help. But I also think just the day to day of managing inventory, shipping, pouring, website, etc… can be overwhelming, but if you love what you do, you just make it happen.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
After many years of owning this business, I just now feel like I am at a place where our credibility has grown in the community. As with any product, I think people have to experience, then by word of mouth (if you have a good product) awareness grows and your name grows as one of the best in that industry. For years now, people have trusted us with their home fragrance and that makes me proud. It’s like inviting a little piece of me in with each candle. I pour love and attention into everything I do in this business. Being a one woman show for so long and evolving where I am today with national collaborations has made me very proud. Also launching “smell good. do good.” where we partner with different organizations and celebrities and a portion of all sales go back to designated charities and missions. We are more than a candle company. We want to share the light.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Creating and actually pouring the candles. it is therapeutic and knowing someone else will enjoy the smell in their safe space, makes me happy. Also, a high retention rate that I’ve kept over the years. I have many people tell me, “I only burn Family Tree, they don’t give me a headache and i love supporting you.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.familytreecandlecompany.com
- Instagram: @familytreecandles
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/familytreecandlecompanysouthern
- Other: https://www.smellgooddogood.com
