THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
With the past year having caused so many people to reassess their working life, we catch up with one woman who decided to turn her love of arts and crafts into a business making and selling candles and accessories.
W hen the door opens to the small workshop on the outskirts of Leeds, the enticing aromas draw you in with their subtlety and variation.
In the midst of the fragrances, Lucia Major is busy doing what she loves doing best – perfecting handmade wax melts and candles for her latest growing batch of orders.
Having just moved into a new house with her husband Geoff, when lockdown struck last year, Lucia enjoyed furnishing and accessorising their new home so much that it left her questioning what she really wanted to do with her life.
At the time she was working full-time for an international financial services company but, one year on and that has all changed after she decided to embark on a new and exciting career making a range of products and accessories from their home in Wakefield.
She said: “I have always loved art, crafts and making things and being able to use my creativity during lockdown to transform our home was such a joy that it left me wondering whether this was something I could take further.
“I love the emotions that smells, scents and aromas can evoke and having created a number of candles for our new home with great results, I started to research that as a business opportunity.”
What Lucia found was that there’s a lot of science, research and legal compliance required to do something as seemingly straight-forward as turning a block of melted wax into a candle.
She said: “I literally spent weeks researching everything, from the ideal wax blend to the very extensive legal requirements on labelling and ensuring all the contents and ingredients on these beautiful products are clearly shown so they can be used safely by the customer.”
Now nearly a year after first dipping her toe in the fragrant pool of candle making, her business, Petite Ellie is flourishing. Alongside candles and melts, Lucia has created an extensive range of beautifully packaged products including soaps, bath salts, oils, and sprays, which are all available to buy on her website.
Lucia added: “Looking back it was the best thing I ever did and it proves that sometimes you need to have the courage to have a go at something you are passionate about and I’m delighted to now have my own business producing products that people seem to really enjoy.”
