Esko woman makes the leap from basement business to store front

By Molly Ovenden

"I'm just a mom and a wife who just accidentally happened into this candle business,” said Kristin Hinrichs, 39, owner of Woodfire Candle Company.

In November 2012, Hinrichs wanted something to do with her hands while she awaited the birth of her son, Otto, now 9. Nearing Christmas, she decided making candles as gifts for friends and family might be fun. Not thinking much of it, she listed a candle on her Etsy shop, where she occasionally sold her handmade crafts, just for fun.

“It wasn’t meant to be a business,” Hinrichs said.

She poured her first candle in November, sold her first candle in December, and had her first wholesale purchase in March.

Today, Woodfire candles are sold in all 50 states and available internationally.

From dining room to factory

“When you can't find it, you make it yourself,” Hinrichs said.

Many candles available at the time were mass-produced. They were full of chemicals, and not her style, so she set out to make candles that she wanted to buy.

Unconcerned about business growth, she already had a job she loved when she started pouring candles. And she wasn’t looking to leave anytime soon.

“I've just let it kind of grow organically,” Hinrichs said. About six months in, Hinrichs needed help. A new mom, still working full time in accounting, she asked her mom to join. Linda Carlberg has been with Woodfire Candle Company ever since.

“Currently, I prepare and assemble all the components of the candles so they are ready for pouring. I've done just about every job at one point or another,” Carlberg said.

About 30,000 jars are assembled annually and Carlberg has faithfully handled each one for years.

From Hinrichs’ dining room, the candle production moved to the basement, and eventually outgrew the garage.

Pandemic influence

“We kind of exploded during the pandemic,” Hinrichs said. With everyone spending more time at home, people wanted to be cozy, and candles do just that. The online shopping boom meant Woodfire Candle Company needed a new home.

Every day, Hinrichs drove past a building in Esko that’d been for sale for a while. It’d be perfect for expanding production, she thought. She didn’t plan to have retail space, but customers had been asking for it.

“They want to see the whole collection and smell everything in person,” she said.

Hinrichs figured she’d set up a small display of her collection in the factory, but it’s grown. She also features other local makers in the retail space, located on the corner of Canosia Road and Highway 61 in Esko.

“It’s been a lot more fun than I thought it would be,” Hinrichs said.

Working with family

Among the best bits of running her business is getting to hire her favorite people. Working alongside her family and friends each day makes it even better.

Hinrichs’ husband, Dan, has been significant in the company, especially since the purchase of the building. They remodeled it together and he comes in biweekly to do maintenance.

“He's helped me tremendously throughout the whole thing,” Hinrichs said.

Most of Hinrichs’ immediate family have owned businesses over the years. She watched her parents and learned from them. Now, she’s giving her son the same opportunity.

“I like doing the stickers on the jars,” Otto said. “I also like putting the crinkle into the boxes. And I like checking out the customers. I love how fun it is and how grateful I am to have the best mom in the world.”

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges was quitting her job.

She’d work her full-time job during the day, take care of Otto and make dinner, and put Otto to bed each night, and then stay up to make candles until midnight.

It took six years for her to feel confident the business was thriving before she left her full-time job in July 2018.

“I probably should have done it a lot sooner,” Hinrichs said. Supply issues, especially with shortages and delays from the pandemic, have also been difficult.

“Candle-making is a science,” Hinrichs said.

Wanting to produce a consistent product, the transition from kitchen crafter to manufacturer was a jump. Moving and storing such volumes of heavy wax and heavy glass jars is challenging.

She jokes with jewelry-making friends who don’t need much space for their business.

"I'm a total

Kristin Hinrichs said, so she prides herself on providing high quality soy wax candles, essential oil scents, and a wooden wick that crackles when burning, so all the other homebodies can feel extra cozy, too.

“I tell them how jealous I am of them being able to have these tiny little materials that they don’t have to lug around,” she said.

Importance of community

Hinrichs has enjoyed the Esko community and its small business owners, whom she’s now among.

“(It’s) a tight little group there that I can turn to,” she said.

She’s also found colleagues online and in the Northland who champion each other with positivity. Community over competition prevails.

“We just all help each other and it's just really cool to be a part of that,” Hinrichs said.

She gives just as much as she receives. For those wanting to start a business, she advises them to not get hung up on all the details because it’s about the decision.

Saying “I am a business now” is a great first step, she said.

Everything else can be learned along the way. Hinrichs’ accounting background has proven beneficial and she suggests new entrepreneurial creatives take a business or accounting course to help.

Carmen Smalley has been employed at Woodfire Candle Company since August 2021 and recently received encouragement from Hinrichs to pursue her photography dreams.

“Sometimes, just having someone believe in you like you believe in yourself is all it takes to light a fire within your soul,” Smalley said. “Kristin has taught me that community is so important, and if you have a vision, a plan, and the mindset to go for it, that you can succeed.” D

Molly Ovenden is a Duluth freelance writer.