Meet Michele Huff of Amber Vale Home

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Huff. 

Hi Michele, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
A few years ago, I found myself longing to create – a brand of sorts – something that had value and was a product/service that would resonate with others as it did me. For some reason, candles piqued my interest. But I wanted to do it my way – a little off the beaten path with creative branding, subtle, yet memorable scents, and with a 100% customer-first approach. We created Amber Vale Home with the vision of designing a platform to inspire and decorate your space and candles were the flagship product to begin this vision. 

Our biggest goal when we create a candle is that it HAS to be true-to-scent — realistic. None of this fragrancy, headache-inducing over-the-top scent that doesn’t really smell like the label indicates. A tag line we have used in our company is, “Our candles take you there.” And what this means for us is, when you burn an Amber Vale Home candle, we want it to conjure up memories, moments made with family and friends and the hopes of new ones yet to be made. For instance, our Camping Trip candle that has notes of a bonfire + toasted marshmallow will hopefully remind us of those family gatherings around a campfire in the backyard or that crazy camping trip two summers ago. 

Our most popular candle by far is Tennessee Backroads. It is like walking or driving through a forest of trees and drinking in the variety of pine and deciduous fragrance. Our customers (and myself) simply cannot get enough of this one! 

One of my personal favs is Porch Chat (leather + whiskey). Primarily because it burns SO mellow. It’s just so darn good. It’s bold out of the jar, but when you light that wick, it creates the most soothing, gentle, and relaxing atmosphere. I absolutely cannot get enough of it. 

Our candle line is created with the highest quality of ingredients to ensure and promote a healthy environment while burning them. We use a blend of soy and coconut waxes, always phthalate-free fragrances, and lead-free and zinc-free cotton wicks. Every candle is hand-poured and every detail is met with the utmost care. We take pride in creating quality, not quantity. 

We have grown exponentially over the last couple of years we’ve been in business through our online sales on ambervalehome.com and our wholesale customers, or as we like to call them, retail partners. We have created custom candles for some great clients like the Harpeth Hotel in downtown Franklin, a Curio Collection by Hilton. We developed a unique candle to fit their brand and hotel fragrance – Vanilla + Bourbon. We’ve also partnered with the Holston House Nashville, part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt to create a candle scent that reflects their vibe + feel. 

We absolutely are super excited about the future of Amber Vale Home and have total joy thinking about what’s next for our brand! 

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?
Starting out was a bit of a “deer in the headlights” moment. I wasn’t sure how this journey was going to work out and even if it would. I started with a handful of candles, created my Shopify site, and began the company. There have been challenges for sure like the wooden wicks that we tried for a while, but customers were having difficulty lighting them and so we eventually discontinued that version and replaced it with a cotton wick. 

Creating the candle scents is one of the most labor-intensive tasks and it’s not always an initial home run. It can take months to get a scent just right – I had to learn A LOT of patience! 

More recent challenges have been getting our supplies from our vendors in a timely fashion. As our company grows, we have to keep an active eye on stock so we don’t run out, all the while checking our vendors stock of supplies to alleviate lag times. Keeping supplies stocked for the creation of our products is probably one of the most challenging tasks in running this business. 

Also keeping the shelves stocked for our customers can be tricky as well. If an influencer calls out a particular candle, THAT candle will be the most popular for months so obviously we have to stock that one quite deep. There are ebbs and flows to all of our candle scents depending on the time of year. Closer to cooler weather toward Fall, our Hayride (pumpkin + vanilla) candle is one we struggle to keep stocked. I’m learning to stay “ready” as this platform can be crazy fast-paced and constantly moving parts! 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What I think sets us apart from other brands is our attention to detail, dedication to get it just right, and customer service. 

We have various checks and balances throughout the process of making our products to ensure every customer receives a quality product. We want our customers to look forward to opening their package and be full of excitement and joy knowing they can count on us to always deliver a quality product 100% of the time. That their face beams a smile when opening their package of products from us because they know a huge “joy moment” is waiting in the wings for them. 

And customer service – let me just say I think we’ve all been at the end of getting mistreated by someone in the service industry. You walk away feeling like your needs were unmet and a bad “taste in your mouth” for that company. We NEVER want this to happen at Amber Vale Home. If you are not satisfied, we will ALWAYS make it right. Every customer is someone we want to feel heard and action taken to resolve their issue in an expedient way. 

I’m most proud of our branding – we wanted to create a look and feel that felt very modern and moody. AND, it worked for a variety of decor styles as well as both guys and girls. We desired an aesthetic that a guy could feel comfortable burning in their office or at their bedside table. Or, that an interior designer would use to achieve their desired staging element. With an amber jar and all-black label with modern lettering, it bodes of a Nashville vibe. 

Currently, we offer our candles online and with our retail partner locations locally and state-wide in Tennessee. We are branching out working with other wholesalers into other states nationally so that is very exciting. We are soon going to be launching another line of products related to the home, but it’s NOT candles. That is super thrilling for us and we are very excited about this launch in the the next month. We are slowly growing and expanding our brand to encompass what makes sense to us. Always by a thoughtful, meaningful process — remember quality, not quantity. 

What matters most to you?
Quality products and great customer service. Because without those two, you have no strong foundation for your business. 

Pricing:

• 9oz candle – $18
• 16oz candle – $30

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: ambervalehome.com
• Instagram: @ambervalehome
• Facebook: @ambervalehome