Meet Joanna Fowler of Pare Candle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna Fowler. 

Hi Joanna, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My husband and I moved to Franklin from central Virginia in October 2014. We knew this area a little, and our oldest son had recently married and relocated here for his career. With our youngest son also recently moving to California, we felt it was time for a change so here we are! 

Our journey to starting Pare Candle began in 2016 when we thought it would be fun to learn how to make our own candles. I was previously a devoted Yankee Candle and Woodwick Candle girl, but that was all about to change! We did some research and bought starter supplies to make soy wax candles in two seasonal scents, and voila – we were candle makers! We loved it so much, we decided to surprise family with Christmas gift candles. They couldn’t believe how good they smelled and were encouraging us to make more. The wheels started turning – why not? Here in middle Tennessee, we are surrounded by beauty and creativity, and we were so inspired by dipping our toe into this creative pool, we decided to go for the deep end. Fast forward through 2 years of working full-time jobs while making candles on weekends and doing endless testing, trial, and error with formulations, and even a brief “what are we doing?” period, and here we are…Pare Candle. 

The business officially launched in August 2019. That year, I was laid off from my full-time job, and I knew it was a “now or never” moment. So, I went for it, learning everything from how to build the website to taking shop and lifestyle photos and promoting through social media. The branding was particularly important – you get one chance at a first impression, so I really wanted the name, brand, and presentation to represent our point of view. 

The name “Pare Candle” is the result of a brainstorming period where we explored the essential elements of what we wanted to create. We realized we wanted to impact any space with candles that look great, smell exceptional, and are versatile and adaptable to style and design – maximum impact without anything unnecessary. We also wanted to acknowledge the need many have to minimize their “stuff” and their footprint (to pare down) without sacrificing substance and beauty. And we wanted to keep our natural wax / clean burning focus – again, nodding to our cultural move toward sustainable, natural, and beneficial products. Pare Candle is our statement that reflects this point of view. We enjoy creating beautiful natural wax candles that are at home in every decor, from rustic farmhouse to minimal and modern. The name “pare” (rhymes with care) stands for permeate your space, awaken your senses, renew your spirit, every day. This is our mission for every candle we create. 

The Story within the Story (just a little personal sidebar) 

When we first made candles for ourselves and for Christmas gifts, we had no idea there would be a rich, connected story within our story. We experienced an unexpected heart moment when our brother-in-law found out he had throat cancer in the fall of 2016. Out of the blue, the rug was ripped out from under him. We spent that Christmas in coastal Delaware with family, where we gave everyone their candle gifts we had made. He was recovering from surgery and preparing to begin chemo and radiation therapy – a tough road ahead. However, he became inspired by our candle-making, and they began their own small candle business in early 2017. As the chemo and radiation treatments took a toll on his body, and he was no longer able to run his own business which required him talking to customers on the phone, he found focus and purpose in something else. Candles. Throughout those months, we shared countless texts, pics, and videos as we exchanged knowledge and ideas. In the midst of his cancer, he found a “win,” and that was a beautiful and unexpected outcome. Today he is cancer-free, and they sell their candles at craft fairs, local wineries, and shops in and around Bethany Beach, Delaware under the name Rising Up. It’s humbling to be part of their story. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say it’s definitely been a bumpy road, with stretches of smooth. While planning and working toward launch, we both had full-time jobs so it was hard to squeeze in the time to make candles, test, and do all of the work required. There was a brief period when we almost launched in 2018, only to realize our formula was not working the way we thought – so we had to scrap a lot of candles and start over, back at square one. However, it was the best detour, because it brought us to our current wax formula which is far superior to what we started with. Throwing away so much product was painful, and it honestly took us about 4 months of “giving up” before we looked at it again and decided to keep going. 

Since we launched August 2019, I had focused on an event or two that fall/holiday season, intending on 2020 being the “year” to really get out there in farmers’ markets and local events. We applied and got accepted to the Nolensville Farmers Market in January 2020, with the market season to begin late April. But we all know what happened. In March 2020, everything came to a screeching, scary halt with COVID. 

I literally did not know if I would have a business. Oh and in case we’ve forgotten, early March before COVID, Nashville had the terrible, destructive tornadoes that came through. We decided to donate ALL March sales to local disaster relief, which we did. It was about $600, which was a lot to us. When the shutdown came mid-March, we still stuck to our promise and donated everything we sold that month. 

The farmers’ market was delayed in opening, and even so, we did not start as a vendor until late May when they finally were able to open to non-essential businesses (which we are). So basically, the first half of 2020 was almost non-productive from a sales and growth perspective. But we had HOPE. 

The other HUGE challenge of 2020 was supply chain. I use a specific glass for my candles. As a brand-new business without a huge cash flow or surplus, buying supplies in the hopes I would sell was very risky. Trying to prepare for a fall/holiday season in the midst of events being cancelled and not knowing how to project sales, I cautiously stocked up on supplies. In the fall, glass became almost impossible to get. I frantically checked all of my possible suppliers, and they were all OUT. I realized I had to just make all the candles I could with what I had and hope for the best. One weekend, while checking every supplier again (which I did daily), I was on the phone with one while on a browser looking at another. Suddenly, I couldn’t believe my eyes. One supplier had the glass in stock. I quickly put 6 cases in my cart and checked out before they could disappear. Then fingers crossed they didn’t oversell. I was able to get those cases and made every single one into a candle. At the end of the year, I had some overstock, but those cases got me through the holiday season. 

So, 2020 was a year of unknowns, lots of pivoting, even more prayer, and just trying to stay positive. The Nolensville Farmers Market was our lifeline – connecting us to community and other local businesses and farms. The comraderie and support was nothing short of miraculous during a year when everything else seemed gloomy. Not only did we survive the year, we actually thrived, and those connections are stronger than ever today. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Pare Candle?
We specialize in creating natural wax candles made with a custom blend of 100% soy wax (American grown) and coconut wax (sourced from the Philippines through US suppliers). These waxes are also considered vegan. Our candles contain no paraffin, additives, dyes, stabilizers, scent boosters, UV inhibitors, or anything else. The wicks are cotton, and the fragrance oils are free of phthalates, parabens, carcinogens and a list of other chemicals we cannot pronounce. They are compliant with California prop 65 and are the cleanest fragrance oils currently on the market. They all have essential oil components infused in them as well. We use a double old-fashioned glass that can be recycled to a beverage glass or returned to us locally for a $2 discount on the next purchase. 

We take great pride in creating candles that smell just as good when they are burning as when you experience them at an event or in a shop. We often hear customers say they have candles that they can’t smell once lit, or they sometimes get headaches or are irritated by candles in their home. We promise them that will not be the case with our candles, and many of them return to let us know how well our candles burn and how wonderful they smell, without irritation. Our candles are clean burning – this means that with proper burning and wick trimming, there is no sooting or black residue inside your vessel, and all wax is consumed without leaving unburned wax on the sides. 

We are very proud to have many loyal and repeat customers, and we are known for being extremely knowledgeable as well as collaborative. In 2021, we created custom private label candles for several other local businesses, and we hope to do more of this in 2022. We also create special event candles – either choosing from our current scent lineup or creating a custom scent. This is actually one of our favorite things to do – work with a client to create their signature scent. 

We love that our brand image is classic and timeless – neutral, clean lines, sleek and minimal. The candle speaks for itself. We actually receive many compliments on the cohesiveness and look of our candles when at events and everything is displayed. 

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We love meeting people – whether other business owners, market managers, or customers! We believe so much in the power of connection, community, and collaboration – and we cannot wait to see what 2022 holds for us. 

Pricing:

• 14-ounce glass candle – $30
• 8-ounce tin candle – $18

Contact Info:

• Email: Joanna@parecandle.com
• Website: parecandle.com
• Instagram: @parecandle
• Facebook: @parecandle

Image Credits:
Molly Wantland
Laci Fowler
Erika Roberts