What we are all about...the "Experience"
The Cleveland Candle Company is a vision of three close friends who wanted to re-imagine how scents were created and brought to life. We believe fragrance can transform an environment, set a mood, and create a memory. Fragrance helps connect us to the world around us and the experiences we have in it.
For those of us on the team, we didn't want to just create a product but an experience to be shared with those around us. In the digital age we live in, we wanted to make a space where people could go to put down their devices and really enjoy a life experience with others. Hence the Cleveland Candle Company was born in late 2014.
The Creative Process...
Here's how the experience works...
Step 1: Come in to our store and start your experience! We will have over 70 different fragrances for you to choose from with more being added as we grow. Mix and match up to 3 fragrances to make your own custom signature blend as you explore our fragrance wall! We will also have free tea and coffee available, so take your time and truly enjoy the experience of discovering scent.
Step 2: Select your container! Come visit our container wall and pick out the size and shape of your candle container! You can also bring your own containers to fill as well. After you have selected your container, you will make a custom label for your candle to remember the experience by.
Step 3: Time to blend your oils! Once you create your perfect blend you will pour it into your candle container and mix it with our custom soy wax blend. Come back to visit us in 60 to 90 minutes and your brand new custom candle will be ready for you to pick up and enjoy!
The Funds
The Cleveland Candle Company is set to open sometime in the Spring of 2015 around late April to early May. So far, we have purchased our initial inventory and all of the candle-making equipment we need to get the store started. It is in the next phase where we could really use your help. We have a couple of interior design plans, but we need some additional funding in order to create the perfect atmosphere. The money raised here will go to building our one-of-a-kind "candle bar", light fixtures, walls, party room and other interior design elements. With your help, we can make this place amazing from day 1 and a place people in Cleveland will be proud of.
The Vision
Our long term vision is to create a successful "experience-based" retail concept and begin building stores on both the East and West sides of Cleveland. We believe there is a need in the marketplace for a local, handcrafted candle company that uses Eco-friendly, sustainable products. We plan on becoming this premier company, both on the retail and wholesale sides of the business. We love Cleveland and we believe people in our city should be able to buy products made locally, at an affordable price, with businesses who want to reinvest in the city and it's people. It is this vision that drives us everyday as we look to bring people together and raise up the city we love: Cleveland!
The Team
David Gin (co-founder): This is David's second small business venture in the city of Cleveland. He is the founder and owner of Real Fruit, LLC (www.realfrut.com), a gourmet juice company that uses local produce to create world class juice. Real Fruit are winners of "The Best Juice in Cleveland 2013 Award" and "Taste of Painesville Best Drink 2014". He has a passion for Cleveland and has over 10 years of retail experience. He is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and holds both a Finance and Marketing Degree. His favorite board game : King of Tokyo.
Linda Turner (co-founder): This is Linda's first small business venture in the city of Cleveland. She has 10 years of retail experience and loves helping people. She volunteers at the Cleveland Food Bank. She has an Associate of Arts degree from Lakeland Community College. She enjoys reading and watching movies. Her favorite movies are based on the author Nicholas Sparks.
Tanya Bratten (co-founder): This is Tanya's first small business venture in the city of Cleveland. She has over 5 years of retail management experience and is truly passionate about customer service. She studied business at Lakeland Community College and has also worked with Real Fruit, LLC for the last four years. She loves to try new restaurants and her favorite movie is "Bridesmaids."
We Need Your Support!
First off, our team wants to thank you for coming to our page to learn more about this project. We really want to create something special in the city of Cleveland for people to experience.
We are asking for your help to get the word out about our vision and company to those who you are friends with. We hope you will support us both in our funding effort and through word of mouth. We will be constantly updating this page as we go through this journey and hope you can join us on the adventure. Thanks!
-The Cleveland Candle Team