BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
A weekly feature highlighting the artists and craftmakers who are working during the coronavirus crisis. If you would like to be featured, email margaretroddy@argus.ie
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Against all the odds, 2020 was a great year for Karen Lavelle of Soilse Candles, not least when The Queen’s Gambit star Anna Taylor-Joy mention the Dundalk produced candles in a recent interview with Vogue magazine.
‘I almost feel guilty about saying it, but we’ve had an absolutely fantastic year with the business,’ says Karen, who is based at Creative Spark.
‘When the first lockdown came, I thought we would be going out of business, but the opposite happened.
‘I had attended all the trade fairs and had my orders ready when lockdown came in March and all the shops started calling , saying for us to hold their orders,’ she recalls. ‘I thought that was it and then the on-line sales took off.’
‘With people spending more time at home, they wanted to surround themselves with beautiful fragrances and a little bit of luxury and candles have filled that void.’
Recognising that people wanted to send gifts to their families and friends who they couldn’t see, Soilse added to their on-line offerings.
‘If people wanted to send a candle to someone overseas, we could include an Irish made gift card and message,’ says Karen.
‘Our candles are inspired by the Irish landscape and in a year that many Irish people living abroad were unable to come home, it was lovely for them to experience a little bit of Ireland through our candles.’
As one lockdown led to another, Karen found that her candles were being sent to emigrants around the world. ‘We had Donegal Dew candles going to Sydney and Wild West Cork Candles going to the Middle East. It was lovely that our products was bringing a touch of home to people who weren’t able to come back to visit Ireland this year.’
During the first lockdown in the Spring, Karen worked from home, dispatching the candles that had already been produced. Then, as a manufacturing business, they were allowed to continue working from their unit at Creative Spark.
‘We were lucky that we had put some work into our website thanks to the Louth Enterprise Office and had our e-commerce offering ready to go. We were able to add new products and options such as gift packs and cards to it.’
Karen uses social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook and recent shout outs by Roz Purcell and most recently Anna Taylor-Joy have helped boost the company’s profile.
They have also featured in the national media and when Ryan Tubridy gave them a mention on the business edition of the Late, Late Show in early November, it has a ‘massive’ impact, recalls Karen,
‘Our website crashed but luckily we were able to get it back up and we had to take additional units in Creative Spark as we needed more space.’
‘We had a very busy Christmas, as candles are always popular at that time of year, and now since the Vogue interview, we have been sending orders around the world,
In her interview Anna Taylor-Joy told Vogue magazine ‘I always have candles around and make sure that I have really comfy, warm socks and pajamas. I think that’s been my biggest purchase over lockdown. They bring me so much joy! I probably have more pajamas than I do outdoor clothes, and I’m kind of okay with it. They make me very happy. I’m also obsessed with candles, and actually because I was living in Ireland, I found a wonderful brand, Soilse, that makes scents, like Irish moss, inspired by landscapes. I bought so many, and they’re so nice to be able to have at home.’
And while her candles might be making their way around the globe, Karen wants to ensure that her business ‘ leaves as little imprint on the planet as possible.’
Soilse candles are all made from sustainable soy wax and infused with essential oil based fragrances that are all naturally produced and environmentally friendly.
‘Sustainability is very important to us and the Apothecary Collection launched three years ago comes in glass jars which can be recycled and reused.’
To find out more about www.soilscecandlecompany.ie or their social media.