We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ty Sampson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ty below.

Ty, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

This is really good question. No one has actually asked the meaning behind the name, I think Alchemy Studios is a unique name for a Home-Fragrance brand. One of my favorite books is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, I read it annually. Most people think the name has something to do with wizardry and witchcraft, it doesn’t. Alchemy, at its most basic definition means to transform and that is exactly what I was experiencing when I started the journey of curating a Home Fragrance brand. So the name Alchemy Studios just made sense for what I envisioned for the company.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Sure! My name is Ty Sampson, I am a Middle/High School Teacher from Maryland and I create Home Fragrances, mainly unisex Soy Candles. I have always had an affinity for everything olfactory and I just grew frustrated with how I would spend good money on candles from Target and within a few days that would not burn evenly. The tipping point came when my first Daughter was born and I could not get rid of the pamper stench in her room so I decided to burn a candle to mask the smell. My wife is a Nurse and a bit anal about everything, she informed me that candles could be harmful for our child. She made me research to see what would be safe to burn and I was blown away at what I found in my research. From that moment on I decided that I would make my own candles to use and Alchemy Studios was born in that moment.

We currently create Unisex Soy Candles and Reed Diffusers. What sets Alchemy Studios apart from the rest is that our products are created and inspired by nature with the intent to be minimalistic, sustainable and eco-friendly. Not to mention, this industry is typically dominated by Women so as a Black Man in this space, I bring a different approach to Home Fragrances. In addition, our products are broken up over four different collections: Fall/Winter, Spring/ Summer, Signature, and Interlude. Each collection only running during a specified time of the year, with the exception of the Signature collection, which runs year long. I

I am most proud that the products we offer are made 100% in house, by hand with the little person that inspired me to take on this endeavor. Alchemy Studios is a family brand, from my family to yours. Every product that we create is made in small batches to ensure the highest quality, I am still blown away at how many people enjoy a product that I fully created every aspect of.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

We manufacture all of products in house. After the research portion I started to experiment on how to make candles. I figured it couldn’t be that hard, its just wax, wick, and oil. I was completely wrong! I probably ruined fifty pounds of wax before I even came close perfecting the “Alchemy” way. There is a decent amount of information on the internet about starting a candle company. However, reading about a process and actively engaging in said process are two different worlds. There are so many variables that have to be accounted for that can alter the finished product. Temperature, surface, oils, timing, vessels, wicks, and that is to name a few. It took me a whole year to finally feel comfortable GIVING away my products to family and friends to try out. My wife, was not a fan of me spending money on materials just to mess up and throw away so a lot of time I had to hide supplies and experiment in my mother in laws kitchen while no one was home. I am forever grateful for those moments, I learned a lot about keeping detailed records of what works and doesn’t work. Optimizing space for a work area, properly ventilating and how important safety gear is while working with chemicals.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Alchemy Studios was completely funded by my 9-5 job. I was working as a Program Specialist and running programs, so I had a hybrid schedule. Sometimes I would work days, two days I would have to work nights. During my downtime and lunch I would just research and learn as much as I could about the industry and the best practices. My wife and I were renovating our home so telling her I was spending money on supplies wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but that is the capital that got the business off of the ground.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alchemystudiosco.com
• Instagram: @alchemystudiosco
• Facebook: Alchemy Studios

Image Credits
Ayonna Hayman Annie Velenovsky Angela Camacho