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

Whitnee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Oh goodness! Figuring out a name that you love is so hard. Yet it’s something that I knew I had to do first. I needed to be able to call it something before I could move on to the next thing. I started with candles and was spinning off of words like flame, pyro, and ignite. And so many more. I went down a huge rabbit hole. When looking for inspiration its hard to not compare to people that have the most clever names! How am I supposed to find my own that is just as amazing? I knew I wanted to name my candles based off of the metaphysical properties of the stones I use in them. I wanted the candles to be used in an intentional way. I wanted to “Spark” an intention. Every one of my products has a genuine stone either inside or as a charm. Once the word Spark entered the scene it felt right to me! Spark & Stone Co was born.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

You know when they ask you in school what you want to be when you grow up? Well no one says they want to be a candle maker. Kids say dentist, or doctor or astronaut. I actually always said a mother. I wanted to be a mom. I am! I have 4 little kiddos that keep me on my toes! I have always loved candles. I want my house to smell good. When the wood wicks started to be popular I fell in love with them. I thought they were the coolest. The crackle and ambience it gives when you are reading your favorite book or taking a bath is so amazing. After my last baby was born I just felt a little lost. I wanted to be able to make some extra money and I had no clue how. I didn’t want a job where I had to find daycare. I wanted a purpose. I was praying for something but I don’t know what. God answers prayers. I literally woke up in the middle of the night after seeing a candle on Instagram and thinking, “ I can totally make that.” But then my brain wouldn’t drop it. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted. How I would brand it. What I would do to make mine different. What I thought would make a better candle. I had never made a candle before, yet I knew in my soul I should do this. I watched countless hours is YouTube candle makers. I experimented time after time with different wicks and oils. I didn’t realize how much math went into candle making! I eventually figured out what worked. I love the candles that I make. Time and effort and thought goes into each one. My girls actually helped with the add on jewelry kit idea. Instead of the stones being tumbled pieces they are beads. When you are done burning the candle, each one comes with a jewelry kit inside the lid and you can make something with the beads. Then you can wear your intention.
The thing I’m most proud of is that I have been able to stay true to being all natural products. The fragrance oil is clean fragrance. Meaning it is toxic free, chemical free, paraben free and phthalate free. The candles are natural soy wax. The room sprays are natural ingredients also. I have had amazing feedback from customers saying how they don’t get headaches from my products. They also love how you can smell it but it never is overpowering. Which is especially important for the car diffusers. As much as I love candles, I my car diffusers are my top selling products. I sell car fresheners in the same scent as my candles. I call them a diffuser because of how they work. They are a little glass bottle with a wooden top and when you tip it upside down that fragrance oil is getting soaked into the wooden lid which then diffusers into the air. They last 3-6 months! They are seriously amazing and everyone should have one!
I didn’t plan on owning my own business. I thought I’d just make and sell a few candles. I have worked hard to be where I am but it still surprises me sometimes! It has been a learning process and when you find what works you keep doing it!!

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I have my own website and I only use Instagram right now as a social media platform. In the beginning I looked at Etsy but I just didn’t like the idea of leading people interested in my product right to my competitors. They had just raised their fees as well and I just didn’t feel like it was for me. However, it doesn’t matter what you do, there will be cost and fees for using any service. My sister had some web design experience and helped me with a wix site. As my branding became more clear I was able to easily adjust and change it to be more what I wanted. Wix has actually been super easy to maintain. Plus they have hundreds of tutorials and help. A website was important to me from the beginning because I wanted the repeat customers. I go to markets and boutique shows and they are usually not in my hometown. People like what they buy and want more. It’s the best feeling actually, To know they loved it enough to come back or to buy as gifts for someone else because they know this person is going to love my products. Social media is important but not top priority for me. Followers help share (if the algorithm lets them see your post) but in my experience followers don’t equal sales. I love to have a space for people to get to know me better. To give updates about what’s new or markets I’m going to.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

Markets have become one of my favorite things but they are stressful. The prepping and figuring out a booth layout that works takes a few tries. The busy markets fill up fast and if you don’t register quick then you might not get in. This year I have done back to back markets and it has been a journey! But to answer the question last year I was signed up for a popular market but it was cancelled last minute and all the other markets were full. I remember feeling super discouraged. After asking around I found one but I didn’t have very high hopes that it would be successful. It has been my best market to date. Now I make sure I hit that one every time! Sometimes you just have to hang on and ride out the disappointments because something better is just around the corner. Markets are the best advertising I have ever done. Word of mouth can spread far and wide if you have something worth talking about. The next year my success there was even better.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sparkandstoneco.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sparkandstoneco