Meet Ashley Garrels | Owner & Operator of Happy Mama Candle Co

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Garrels and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I grew up in a small farm town in Illinois. I was raised in a blended family and have a total of seven siblings. My parents always worked hard to ensure that us kids had everything we ever wanted or needed. They taught us the value of hard work and dedication our entire lives whether that was through their own work ethics or teaching us the value of money. They also taught us the importance of family. Even though they worked long, hard hours at times, they made sure to always show up for us kids. I don’t remember ever having a sporting event that one of my parents did not attend (and I was in A LOT of sports). I got my first job when I was 13 years old and clocked in for someone up until I started my own business in January 2021. I was a true worker bee until one day I realized that I had spent years putting all of my energy into other people’s businesses when I could be using that energy for my own.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I make 100% soy wax candles & wax melts, hand dipped incense, and room & linen sprays. I lovingly refer to my products as ‘healthier home fragrance’. Without getting into the specifics, years ago I stumbled across some articles on the dangers of big box store candles. I started doing my own research and was horrified by what I was unknowingly putting into the air in the home that my family spends their time in. I immediately stopped burning those store bought candles and ordered a candle making starter kit. I experimented with making my own candles and found that I loved the process. I would make candles for my friends as gifts and for my own home. It never really occurred to me that I could sell those candles and make a business out of it. I didn’t have many entrepreneurs in my life growing up. I had only ever seen people going to work and clocking in to support their family.

I had been working as a certified oral surgery assistant for years already once Covid hit in 2020. The world as we knew it changed what seemed like overnight. At this point, I had a four year old daughter in daycare and was pregnant with my son. I was terrified that I would bring Covid home to my family every single day or that my daughter would bring it home from daycare. Regardless of the fears that myself and the rest of the world were feeling, the show must go on. Myself and my husband were considered essential workers, so throughout the initial wave of covid we continued to work full time and had to continue sending our four year old to daycare. Those initial months of Covid were brutal. The daycare seemed to be closed every other week due to someone testing positive and each time they closed, either myself or my husband was forced to stay home and quarantine with our daughter. What little bit of PTO I had, was used up very quickly due to the shutdowns, leaving me with zero postpartum leave. My husband and I managed to save enough money so that I could stay home with my son for 6 weeks after giving birth and then send him to the same daycare that my daughter attended once he was old enough. Things did not go as planned. While my daughter’s daycare was closed for Thanksgiving, they sent out an email that stated that with the amount of time that they had had to shut down due to Covid, they could no longer afford to keep their doors open. The daycare gave us a one week notice before they shut the doors. With that one email I lost childcare for my four year old as well as my unborn child. My son was due to be born in only a month and there were absolutely no openings for newborns in any daycares in the Charleston area. I had no other choice but to take leave from my dental job to stay at home with my daughter. I had no income coming in, and the money that we had saved for postpartum leave now had to be used before my son was even born. I was racking my brain every single day trying to figure out how we were going to make ends meet with two children, and no childcare.

I gave birth to my son on New Years Eve 2020. As soon as I saw his face something in me changed and I realized that there is nothing more important to me than my babies, including my career. I knew immediately that I could never go back to the life where I was the first one to clock in and the last to clock out for someone else and where I only saw my babies for a couple of hours each evening. I wanted to spend my time with my children, and I would make it happen. As soon as I was discharged from the hospital with my brand new baby, I read every book I could on starting a business and googled and googled and googled for as much information as I could take in. I started making as many candles as I could every single day with my newborn strapped to my chest. I built a website and started social media pages. I lovingly named my business Happy Mama Candle Co because I knew that I needed to be able to be more present with my children to be truly happy and being a business owner was exactly the flexibility that I would need to achieve that.

I launched my business and opened my website on 1/11/21, just days after giving birth, and sold out completely in just a couple of hours. Ever since that day, I have attended countless vendor events, sold my products in over 20 stores nationwide, and made and sold thousands of candles. I have also been fortunate enough to be present for my kids every single day. I have taken and picked my daughter up from school every single day since her first day of kindergarten. I have been able to stay at home with my son since the day that he was born. I found a way to be present for my family, while still contributing financially, and doing what I love every day. I am so thankful that I took that leap. It changed my life and I can truly say that I am one Happy Mama.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
With most of our family still living in Illinois we get to play tour guide frequently! My husband and I have lived here for over 10 years now and we still love being tourists when we can. We absolutely always make a day to go downtown to the market, riverfront park, the battery, and rainbow row. You need one full day of shopping on King Street and at Tanger. The beach is a must! I personally love Isle of Palms because that is the spot where I saw the ocean for the first time and where my husband and I got engaged. Folly Beach pier, however, is also a must. I love love love Park Circle with so many restaurants and shops. There is no shortage of breweries to visit while in town either! There is always time to hit up a local event or farmer’s market.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
While it takes a village to raise children, I believe it takes all of that and then some to start and run a successful business while simultaneously raising children. I quite literally could not have done any of this without my support system. I am thankful for my husband and my late father-in-law for turning our garage into Happy Mama Headquarters and building any and everything that I have ever needed. I am thankful for my in-laws for the nonstop support, encouragement, and wisdom. I am thankful for my family and friends that have jumped in and helped with my children so that I could do vendor events and be able to give my attention to my business 100% even for just a little bit of time. I am incredibly thankful for my friends turned family that have helped me set up, run, and pack up my booth at almost every single event I have ever attended. I am thankful for my family and friends back in Illinois that continue to support me online and from afar. I could never have done it without each and every one of you.

Website: https://www.happymamacandleco.com

Instagram: @happymamacandleco

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/happymamacandleco

Image Credits
All product photo credits: Palmetto Snapshots, Michelle Hart