Shenalyn Castoldi makes candles in her Queen Anne home. When the pandemic hit, Castoldi learned how to make scented candles, which she turned into a business, Velle Candles.
In Latin, “velle” means “to be willing is to be able,” and that is exactly what Shenalyn Castoldi had in mind when she started her own business during the pandemic.
As a designer by trade and an esthetician by practice, the long-time Queen Anne resident found herself with a lot of free time when the world shut down. With two little ones who had shifted to virtual schooling, however, Castoldi discovered she needed something she could do from her own home.
“There was so much uncertainty in the world, I felt like I just needed to keep going,” she said.
After the first few months of the pandemic, Castoldi was becoming an accomplished sourdough baker, and she wanted to try something different. That’s when she discovered candle making on social media and decided to order a starter kit.
“It was kind of a fun experiment,” Castoldi said.
Her first batch of scented candles was really more of a test to see if she liked the hobby and would be any good at it.
Photo by Laura Marie Rivera
Shenalyn Castoldi sets up candles she made for her Velle Candles line among the cards and household gifts at Queen Anne Frame & Gift, 1621 Queen Anne Ave. N.
“It’s similar to baking, with specific temperatures, recipes and timing, but I also find it to be a therapeutic and relaxing distraction,” Castoldi said.
She gifted the candles from her original kit to friends and received a lot of good feedback. And at that point, she started to consider making it an official business – Velle Candles.
Castoldi discovered her creativity and design skills could shine when she started developing her own recipes.
In addition to delivering a great customer experience, Castoldi said she prioritizes sustainability, natural ingredients and sourcing from local vendors in her business. It wasn’t always easy, however.
Castoldi said she knew she wanted her candle holders to be reusable. Since most of the glass suppliers had everything on back order, she had to make alternative plans. That’s when she came up with the idea for concrete holders.
The containers are made with a fine concrete, using a sand aggregate. She said concrete has turned out to be a great material because it has a beautiful finish that doesn’t need any additional buffing. The candle holders are also porous, so she discovered that they need some kind of additional seal or they will absorb the candle wax. She said it took a lot of work to find a sealant that was water-based, flame retardant and nontoxic, but she was eventually successful.
Because the candles come with fitted lids, as a bonus, customers have told her they use the empty holders as containers in their bathrooms or drawers.
Next, Castoldi experimented with wax. Natural and clean burning wax was a must, but she discovered many options are available. Castoldi said soy wax is one of the most popular, but it is also very temperamental and can have a lot of imperfections. She eventually settled on the more forgiving apricot and coconut waxes.
The fragrances are at the heart of Castoldi’s candle making.
“I decided to focus on scents that remind me of happy memories,” she said.
Her blackberry candle is special because it reminds her of picking blackberries with her family: her husband, Ryan, and sons, Ethan and Aiden.
The November candle is scented with steamed milk, oats and honey and is special because it celebrates the birth month of both of her boys.
The espresso candle celebrates a bright spot of her mornings.
And the Scotch candle, with a combination of jasmine, Italian bergamot and cigar fragrance, was created for Valentine’s Day because she enjoys the occasional Scotch on the rocks and “it felt romantic and reminded me of date nights.”
She said her all-time favorite is the garden candle with a fresh green scent of lemon, basil and tomato leaf. It should return when the weather is warmer. Her current favorite is either the spruce and fir or the lingonberry, standouts from the winter fragrances.
Castoldi said the final hurdle was getting her candles placed in the retail stores. At this time last year, Castoldi debuted Velle Candles at a boutique showing in Belltown. Now they can be found on the shelves at Queen Anne Frame & Gift, 1621 Queen Anne Ave. N., at the top of the hill, and on the first Thursday of every month at AXIS Pioneer Square, 308 First Ave. S. during the Pioneer Square Art Walk. They can also be shipped directly through Castoldi’s website, vellecandle.com.