We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Patterson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always had a love for candles and home fragrance, particularly their ability to change the energy of a space, create calm, invigorate and refresh. When I started making candles 9 years ago as a hobby, it was driven by wanting to control what ingredients were used, as store-bought candles often made me sneeze. Learning more about what makes a good candle, I became passionate about creating products that contain industry-leading quality ingredients while remaining richly scented. This became the crux of my brand: “Richly scented, thoughtfully made soy wax candles”. After years perfecting my craft, sourcing the best ingredients, and preparing to take a huge step – I left my full time corporate tech job to create something entirely of my own and Tulsa Candle Co. was born.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Tulsa Candle Co. is driven by 3 guiding principles that set us apart: 1) Clean fragrance is the standard, not the exception. 2) Create beautiful experiences without creating waste. Focus on sustainability. 3) Be unique, creative and relatable. Feel luxurious, be affordable.

These principles guide us in creating quality products that are unique, affordable, and you can feel good about supporting and using. I am proud of the effort we’ve made to use zero waste and/or fully recyclable packaging, partner with other businesses to recycle packaging materials, reuse and repurpose supplies and more.

Getting any business off the ground is a challenge, but I’ve learned that there is strength in community. In the early months of my business, I spent time connecting with other small businesses, networking (even if it was outside of my comfort zone), and asking questions that helped me get exposure to outlets to sell my products, resources to learn how to better run my business, and tips, tricks and more from others who had already worked through the growing pains themselves.

My hope is that when a customer buys a product from me, they are able to appreciate the huge amount of intention and care it has been given. From the ingredients used, the choice of packaging, delivery, upcycle-ability and more – intense thought has been given to every piece of our products to allow you to enjoy them to their fullest.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would start our visit with dinner out and a wine flight on Main Street Broken Arrow at Water’s Edge Winery, followed by a salted caramel ice cream waffle cone at Rose Rock Microcreamery (& maybe the evening Farmer’s Market if it’s the right day of the week!).

The next day I would head to Philbrook Museum to tour the gardens and take in the art before heading to Utica Square to grab a bite at Queenie’s or Wild Fork and do some shopping in the afternoon.

Dinner spots we’d frequent in downtown Tulsa: Sisserou’s for Caribbean, Yokozuna for sushi, Neff for a full gluten-free menu and beer.

Other things to do: a downtown art-deco architecture tour with Tulsa Tours, wander around The Gathering Place for an afternoon, grab an iced coffee from Laurannae’s, pop into BA Brewing and/or Valkyrie for a drink, catch live music and more at the First Friday Art Crawl at Guthrie Green and take in the sights and sounds of Tulsa.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To Hutch, who pushed me to pursue my passion and supports every chaotic, crazy endeavor and growing pain associated with owning a small business. And to the Tulsa community, for embracing this business with open arms and cheering us on every step of the way.

Website: www.tulsacandlecompany.com

Instagram: tulsacandleco

Facebook: tulsacandleco

Image Credits
Kenadi Dashner Photography Jessica Karin Trout

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