Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Courtney Catalino. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Courtney, appreciate you joining us today. Has Covid resulted in any major changes to your business model?

My business model was actually started from the early times of Covid. I have worked for a bank for most of my adult life. I still do! When Covid started, my husband was laid off and my hours changed drastically at the branch I worked at. We were on 3 off 4. I’m very lucky to work for a bank that continued to pay us our 40 hour work weeks though. However, I had so much time on my hands and would rather not be a couch potato drinking wine all day. So in our efforts to avoid that..my husband and I started making small animal furniture and selling it locally. That income helped and we made many friends doing it. Fast forward a few months…. I saw a friend of mine from up north started his own candle company and I thought it was the coolest thing. I am a huge candle person!!.I could spend all day at a major candle store. I was also selling my home and using the candles from these big candle stores and I realized my money was being wasted. The candles wouldn’t last…they sent soot up the walls… they would tunnel down and waste all the wax. When these candles were not on sale I think they were $24.95 and lasted a few hours here or there. So once I saw what my friend was doing, I started watching any kind of training or how to’s that I could. I bought my first candle making kits and started off with 4 scents. This was only supposed to be a hobby and a way to save money on my candle habit but I learned soooo much!! I learned about the different kinds of waxes, scents, all the science and math involved…I was blown away! I never knew how dangerous those $24.95 candles were for you! So I stocked up on the ones I was practicing on and used them for personal use or gave them to family or friends. My best friend (who has always been in my corner from day one) suggested I turn this into a business. With all the time we had, it was a no-brainer! So we came up with name (the company is named after my Pug, Salem) and I contacted a good friend of mine from college who specializes in illustration and asked him to come up with a spooky logo that included Salem. My friend, Dave Dick of Dave Dick Illustration could not have done a better job on the logo!! Look him up!! He is that amazing!!
So we have a name, a logo, and product…now I needed a following. A friend of mine that owns Glam Studio in the European Village in Palm Coast was also starting the European Village Farmer’s Market back up and asked if I would like to join. Again, a no-brainer. So on November 8th, 2020 We had our first market. In the years since, we have been one of the original vendors there and have done many other markets, art walks, and horror conventions. We currently are at The European Village every Sunday (during the fall, winter, and spring with some summer dates), Good Times Dog Bar on A1A every second Saturday of the month, Pep’s Artwalk at JT’s Seafood Shack on A1A every last Saturday of them month, and we are a regular vendor at the Spookala Horror Convention twice a year.
As we have grown as a candle company, we have also incorporated spooky art and decor. I love making one of a kind pieces that are far from a lot of the art you see here in Florida. What has made me the proudest of my accomplishments these past 4 years was having multiple vendors that started with me back in 2020 tell me that I have grown from just selling candles to making my display full of things that are super cool and intriguing. It doesn’t stop there! We have many plans for the future and we would love for our friends, family, community and customers to follow us for the ride!!!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think what helped set us apart from everyone was our brand. Everything down to the decorations we use and that we are Halloween all year round. It’s surprising how many fellow Halloween and horror fanatics are out there! Kids especially love the display because they get to experience Halloween in an odd month like January for instance. People also have many questions about the name. So it sparks up some serious conversations about Salem, Massachusetts or my pug. Whichever way the conversation goes. Then, and these are my favorite conversations, the horror fanatics!! They usually return every week with a new movie to recommend or vice versa. So Wick’ed Salem’s isn’t just my small business …it’s become a way of life and has changed me progressively over the years. It actually carries its own persona.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Coming from a neighborhood bank and learning the ins and outs of customer service has really helped in our mission for wick’ed Salem’s. You are not just a customer, you are friends and family in the community. We are very big on keeping up on social media and letting our fans into our lives as well as being a part of theirs. I love posting about the newest piece of art or the newest candle scent!! Gets everyone so excited!!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Wickedsalemscandles.com
• Instagram: Wicked_salems_candle_company
• Facebook: Wick’ed Salem’s Candle Company

Image Credits

Dave Dick Illustration for the logo