Well to start off, let’s just say, that when melting a small amount of wax over my kitchen stove (enough to make 2 candles at a time) almost 5 years ago, I never could have imagined that within a few short years, we would be where we are today.
It has been a journey, a process, and building and running this little biz with next to no business experience has been one of the hugest learning curves I think I have experienced as an adult. Back when I started this business, I would daydream about the idea of having my products in a little shop somewhere (…someday), or having enough interest to maybe show my candles at one of those big trade shows in another state, or even growing enough to move into a designated studio/production space (that wasn’t my kitchen). I would think to myself how amazing that would be, and even though I wanted it, and was prepared to work day and night to get there, it kind of just felt like an unrealistic dream. Because who actually gets to do this kind of thing for work, right?
So my candle obsession was born, and it grew stronger by the day (I’m still completely obsessed btw). I was attending local markets every weekend (sometimes two), making candles at night, while still working fulltime in my professional role through the day. Running my online store, and attempting to do all the other bits and pieces required to run a small business, with just me, myself and I. I was tired, so tired, and pregnant at the time, but I felt so passionate about what I was creating, that the thought of stopping or slowing down just wasn’t an option for me.
Slowly and organically, word got out about our products, and local and interstate retail stores started contacting us and asking if they could stock our products in their stores. I still remember the excitement I felt that very first time our products hit the shelves of a local gift shop. It was such a huge step for us, and I think sending out that very first wholesale order was the moment I can pinpoint in time that I realised this could actually be something more than just a daydream and a hobby. Even today, I still pinch myself and ask, “is this really real?”, “Is that really my candle sitting on the shelves of the most glorious homewares store in Brisbane?”, “Are they really my products in the window of a Brighton shopfront?”, “holy moly, did the Block Shop really just list my products online?”
So after almost 5 years of having this business, last year I found myself reflecting on our brand identity, our name, what it meant to me in terms of representation, style, and moving forward in a direction that was meaningful and purposeful to our business and goals, and importantly, to me on a personal level. It was then that I realised I wanted something more than just a name. I wanted this business to be transformed by a complete new brand identity that represented the heart of what this business stands for. It was then that the seed was planted, and my creative mind went into overdrive. I was already working closely with a designer on another project, so went to her with my concepts, which she brought to life. More than half a year on, and here we are…. House of Wellington…. This new name truly represents me and my business in a way that I feel really proud of. The logo is exactly what I didn’t know I wanted, and this change has been everything I knew we needed to take us into 2021 with a fresh new look and feel that is representative of our products and style.