Meet Keaton Davis of Candles By A Dad

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keaton Davis.

Hi Keaton, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My wife and I were married in October 2020 (pandemic wedding, anyone?).

Because the focus of this interview is on our candle business and not solely on how amazing my wife is, I’ll just say this: Ashley lights up my world – I love the woman! She plays a huge role in the business today, and she’s a huge part of the reason we started it.

Ashley deals with a few autoimmune conditions that, you guessed it, weaken her immune system. Among other negative symptoms, these conditions make her sensitive to seemingly innocuous things like traditional household cleaners, certain foods, and even fragrances. Therefore, we went on a journey to be more mindful of what we allow into our homes. This has included a lot of label reading and eliminating products comprised of ingredients with names we can’t pronounce. When God brought our beautiful son, Ryman, into the world in October 2021 (pandemic baby, anyone?), we doubled down on our efforts to create a clean home. We also decided that Ashley would stay home with Ryman, which gave us the opportunity to get creative in bringing in some extra income.

Enter: candles. We love candles and were pretty gutted when our research revealed that most candles you buy at the store contain toxins. Yes, they look pretty, they smell nice, and they light up the room. They also fill the air with visible soot and invisible carcinogens. I could go into the science behind it, but suffice it to say, companies have gone the cheap route to make as much money as possible, and we’re paying for it. Ashley and I could either hang up our lighter for good, or I could make some toxin-free candles myself.

I did more research and discovered the benefits of soy wax over paraffin, cotton wicks over metal-core wicks, clean fragrances over traditional ones, etc. I was ready. I bought the supplies from the local hobby store, came home, and began my craft. Through trial and error, and some crazy-smelling experiments, Candles By A Dad was born. We want to share these candles with people, because, even if you don’t have an autoimmune disease, you were created to be healthy and whole. These candles can brighten your day while preserving your health and wholeness! The name came from the fact that surprise, I am indeed a Dad. This is a family affair, with me making the candles, Ashley telling people about them, and Ryman just being the cutest little candle assistant in the industry.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh boy, this road has been so much fun! Truly, it has been a blessing. There have been a few hang-ups along the way, some learning curves, and some failed experiments, but God has definitely walked with us through the process and it has been an absolute joy.

Remember when I talked about all my preliminary research, my gleeful trip to the hobby store, and my diligent, ambitious foray into the wax and oil in my kitchen? All my work led up to a candle that actually looked pretty good! While singing “We Are the Champions” way too loudly, I lit the candle in front of my eager wife, the flame burst into life, the wax started melting, and…

The smell knocked us off our surprised feet. It is quite possible to put too many Eucalyptus Mint essential oils into a candle, and I succeeded in doing just that. Ashley told me to blow it out and never light it again. With much more research, wax, and oils, and many more candles, spreadsheets, and wicks later, I’ve finally found my groove. But not without several candles that will never see the light of day.

Completely outshining the bumps in the road have been our family, church friends, and even local businesses that have been extremely supportive of our endeavor. We have been so uplifted to experience this type of love and encouragement, and we hope to give that back as we make more candles for the community.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Candles By A Dad?
We are a small-batch candle business that hand pours non-toxic, clean-burning 100% soy candles with certified clean fragrances and cotton wicks. We currently sell eight different scents that range from fresh and clean, to floral and light, to rich and sweet. Some of the names are Great Smoky Mountains, Capri Island Citrus, and Grammy’s Banana Bread. We have so many more on the way, so be on the lookout!

What sets us apart is the fact that we truly do want you to enjoy a strong-smelling candle without fear that your home and body are at risk of hidden toxins. We also want to help elevate your space with our trendy, understated amber jars that come packaged in high-quality muslin drawstring bags. Oh, and we also want to lighten the mood with corny candle-themed dad jokes like this one: Just Googled “how to light a candle.” Got 50 million matches.

You’re welcome.

We currently sell on our website and social media accounts, at craft shows, and in stores! You can find our candles at Miller’s Crossing, which is right across from Miller’s Grocery in Christiana. And you may find our candles in a cool shop in downtown Murfreesboro soon!

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Surprisingly, I found my main candle-making “mentor” on YouTube. Wade Thomas runs Black Tie Barn and has a great channel I’ve been following pretty much from the beginning. Poor Ashley hears me say “As my man Wade says…” whenever I talk about candles, which is all the time.

It is almost overwhelming how many resources are available to us online. I wanted to make sure I follow someone whose heart is in their craft. If they are only out to make a buck and nothing else, then they’re not my person. If they truly enjoy what they’re doing and want to better people’s lives in the process, they’re worth following. This particular person does a good job of explaining the business side as well as the candle-making side, which has truly been helpful. He’s also pretty quirky, like me, so it has been a good match. Does he have any idea who I am? None whatsoever. But maybe that’ll change one day if I get the courage to reach out to him and send him one of my candles. We shall see.

I have also reached out to people in my church who are small business owners. They have been incredibly helpful along the way, and they’ve given me a peek into what it’s actually like to run a small business. If you can find someone in your network who is doing something even tangentially similar to you, call them up and ask a lot of questions!

If you don’t know anybody in your circles who may fit that mold, seek someone out in your community, walk up to them, and ask if they can give you some pointers. I’m sure they’d love nothing more than to share their hard-fought wisdom with a budding star such as yourself.

Pricing:

• Each candle is $20

Contact Info:

• Website: www.candlesbyadad.com
• Instagram: @candlesbyadad
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/candlesbyadad 

Image Credits
Jack Murphy, Patrick Sams, and Ashley Davis