We recently connected with Joi Riley and have shared our conversation below.

Hi JOI, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

At J.R Candle Company, our mission is to illuminate lives through luxurious, eco-friendly candles that create beautiful experiences and foster connections. We are dedicated to crafting high-quality, handcrafted products that not only enhance the ambiance of any space but also promote sustainability and community empowerment. As a minority Black, woman-owned business, we strive to inspire and uplift our community, creating a positive impact with every candle we make.

It is extremely important to us to offer sustainable, well-made products that not only smell amazing but look amazing in any home and/or office space to people of any community. We don’t want people to think they have to spend over $100 to have a touch of luxury in their home. I love the fact that people are more conscious of how their products are made and we pride ourselves on using Clean+ fragrances, vegan and natural ingredients as well as recyclable packaging.

JOI, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Joi Riley, owner and lead chandler of J.R Candle Company. I started the company in 2019 after researching how to make my own candles and cleaning products. What prompted me to do so was the reactions 2 of my children were having within our home, to the cleaning products I was using as well as the candles I was burning. After doing my research and making my own products I decided to make it into a little “side hustle” at first that grew to an actual business by October 2019. I found that there were people out there who also loved candles, but didn’t like the harmful fumes it gave off, the synthetic fragrance oils that were used and some were actually catching fire or exploding. So I looked into a more natural way to make them. It takes great discipline to ensure we never step outside of our mission to save a dollar. Ultimately, we want to have more natural products in every home and office so everyone lives a better, cleaner lifestyle.

In my journey I found wooden wicks instead of cotton. I found that I could source them from companies who held the same sustainable, eco-friendly and responsible motto by using wood that was FSC Certified. I found wicks that also crackle like a fireplace which sets us a part from other companies. Using cleaner, all-natural and/or vegan fragrance oils gave off a stronger scent as well as a cleaner burn where the candles NEVER explode or catch fire. Along with that the vessel itself had to be sustainable, so we started a refill program where you can refill not only your candle, but your room spray, fabric duster and our diffuser. Our products are candles, wax melts, room sprays, sanitizer, fabric duster and diffusers. We are introducing a skin line of the company where we will offer whipped body creme, body scrub, organic all-natural laundry detergent, fabric softener, and perfume.

Potential clients would be other businesses looking to add candles, room sprays or body care to their company and are looking to wholesale or even white label our products.

We offer classes as well at our storefront in Tower Grove and we travel for private parties as well. We still participate in local vendor events also and are looking into bigger events outside of Missouri. We will be at the Working Women’s Show February 14-February 16th in St. Charles. We are very excited about as this is the largest vendor event we’ve been a part of. We’re looking to expand our clent and customer base. Slowly building our community and are eager to share our story and our products to everyone around the world.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

On May 1, 2022 my personal home burned down to the ground. At the time, I ran the business full-time from my home and only sold online and in-person at vendor events. I lost everything and had to refund nearly $2,000.00 to people who had orders that were packaged and sitting at the front door ready to be mailed out. Although the business had to shut down, it was always a goal to restart as the passion for candle-making never left me. It took 2 years to get my life back on track fully and once we were stable, J.R Candle Company was reborn, rebranded and came back with a huge punch of excitement and new lease on life. We built a bigger and better personal studio in my new home, we changed our logo and created better strategies within the business all while still holding our mission and vision entact. In June 2024, I pitched my business to local owners and a board of directors for a spot within an incubator retail space and was selected as one of the 3 businesses to participate in the 14-month program! We opened our doors officially at 4256 Manchester Ave, 63110 on Thursday October 10th and we are super excited to see what 2025 holds for the business!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Currently, I have decided to share my successful strategies and expertise with the masses of candle business owners as well as anyone who is in a handcraft product business by writing not only my first e-Book, but also an accompanying workbook! It’s called ‘Ignite Your Business… The Ultimate Guide to Hosting Profitable Candle-Making Classes’. It gives business owners an avenue to expand their business by offering classes to their audience as well as enthusiasts in the community. I taught dance for 12 years from age 18-30 and a mom of 5 so I hold a lot of patience and love to teach others, then sit back and see their accomplishments.

This book breaks down STRATEGICALLY how to set realistic goals, map out a plan, market to the masses all while sharing their passion and exposing their business to new consumers. We have marketing guides as well as a waiver template as well.

So pivoting the business to digital products while sharing my passion is siimply amazing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jrcandlecompany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.r_candlecompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/j.rcandlecompany/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo%C3%AD-riley-2b5549102/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q6-RdJeNfo&t=18s

Image Credits

Joi’ Riley
Park Central Development
Monarch Studios