Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Stepnicka.
Hi Sara, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After the great housing crash of 08′, we ended up making a life-changing decision to move out West. Arizona was always of interest to us, something about the Sonoran Desert, the crisp blue skies, the mountains, and the variety of climates within the state was extremely alluring to us. Plus, with 300+ days of sunshine a year, we were sold before ever visiting.
Around 2014, we moved out here from Michigan and immersed ourselves in everything we could around the Metro-Phoenix area. Falling in love with hiking almost immediately upon our arrival, and the beauty found on the hiking trails inspired us to no end. Little did we know a couple of years later it would set us on the path of creating a candle line named after and figuratively inspired by our favorite hiking trails in the region.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The journey is never smooth, and all struggles are a great opportunity to challenge yourself and grow. Our first line of jars we were using went out of business within the first year, causing us to have to reimagine our line after just settling in, along with all the upfront costs that go with that. It set us back, and we had to work our way out of that hole. Once we got rolling a bit we started to do numerous festivals and craft shows in the region, a great way to meet customers, hear their immediate feedback as they smell our line of candles, and grow relationships with customers we still have today.
Then COVID happened, and that presented a new struggle as the bulk of our business was coming from those live events around the Metro-Phoenix area. We had to pivot to online marketing and trying to find an angle from this horrible pandemic to produce sales from. Well, with everyone quarantined in their homes, having fantastic-smelling candles really became a life necessity for some, and we were able to capitalize on that. Then we both got COVID, and we both lost our sense of smell.
Anthony, who designs all of our scents, has yet to recover his sense of smell completely, which has been a struggle as we had a new line that we wanted to introduce and get placed in stores and resorts in the area. So, I doubt the struggles ever go away, just a part of the business experience that you have to accept, adapt to, and try to capitalize off of.
We’ve been impressed with Camelback Candle, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We specialize in creating unique and sophisticated multi-layered scented vegan soy candles named after our favorite hiking trails throughout Arizona. We are known for how long our candles last, and the scent throw they produce when they are burning. Having Anthony design the scents gives us a male perspective when creating scent profiles, and many customers have really taken to them as many of our customers have picked up on that, and commonly tell us are candles smell like a new boyfriend. We are most proud to be working with the Arizona Tourism Office, in providing them candles that they include in various press releases to encourage more tourism to our state.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Endlessly inquisitive and creative. I loved singing, theater acting, playing sports, and performing with a team. I grew up in a really small town about an hour east of Cleveland, OH that sparked my love for the outdoors and exploring the natural beauty of the region.
Some may say I have a stubborn personality, but I just like to think of it as a determined personality, which has served me well in life and business.
Pricing:
- 8oz candles go for $25 each
- 16oz candles go for $35 each
- Wax melts go for $15 each
Contact Info:
- Email: reply@camelbackcandle.com
- Website: www.camelbackcandle.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/camelbackcandle
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/camelbackcandle
