Bay Area eco-friendly candle maker creates her own concrete vessels
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The pandemic affected Christina Pope’s life and business in many ways.
She had been making her own candles on and off for seven to eight years.
"After the pandemic, the world shut down, and I was like how can I stay safe and make money?" Pope said.
After successfully starting A House on the Beach Candles, the pandemic, specifically supply-chain issues, struck again. The candles were housed in Spanish-glass containers.
Facing shipping delays, she decided to try making her own containers, or vessels, as they are known as in the world of candles.
"I just went and figured out how to do it and a lot of hours into it," Pope explained. "I think it was just kind of a forced-plot twist of, well, Home Depot is never going to run out of concrete, so here we go."
The concrete vessels take longer to make, both in time and effort, but in addition to the eco-friendly candles, wooden wicks and paper labels, the concrete has created a signature look and vibe for her products.
As a bonus, the concrete vessels now provide incentives for customers to shop again at St. Pete’s Saturday Morning Market.
READ: Inverness artist creates sculptures inspired by Florida marine life
"If you buy the candle, and then you use it, I tell them, bring it back to me, and I'll give you a discount on the next one, so it's like a candle coupon," Pope explained.
Pope then sands the vessels down and reseals them for re-use, saving herself a week of work. If the vessel isn’t reusable, she sells them as cheap planters.
Like the name implies, the candles’ themes revolve around the beach, with candles like "Surf Girl" and "Beach House". No matter the scent, Pope hopes her candles help her customers retreat from the world.
"The world's always crazy. It feels like it's always going to be crazy, and all you can do is just keep yourself charged up, relaxed," Pope said. "When you're home, it's just like your sanctuary. You want to smell good. You want to feel good, and that's just part of the candle."
For more information, click here.
SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter
WATCH FOX 13 NEWS