Howdy! We’re so excited for this month’s installment of Maker Story where we get to rave about our talented artisans in The Collective. If you didn’t already know, Circle 21 Candle Company was created by Amarillo native, Janet Coffman, in 2012. 

Her large selection of hand-poured candles has been sold across the globe and to retailers such as Madewell. (How cool is that!) We knew from the beginning that she’d be a great retailer to add to The Collective roster and have been blown away with how many of you love her candles and artwork. 

Today we got to spend some time with Janet in her cozy pool house turned studio. She spent many years as a art teacher and bookkeeper, but always felt the call to create. Scents for Janet are tied to so many experiences and memories, that’s why it was important for her to incorporate those things into her creations. 

With the help of her daughter, Janet was able to beautifully brand Circle 21. After submitting photos of the candles to a design blog, the brand took off. The blog spotlighted Circle 21 and eventually got into the hands of someone at Madewell. 

Before winning WT’s Enterprize Challenge, Janet was hand-pouring each and every candle with buckets. Around the same time she won the grant, she received one of her biggest wholesale orders from Madewell. It was the perfect timing quite honestly since she was able to upgrade to larger machinery to help her fulfill orders.

It was a lot of fun getting to see how the candles are poured into the recycled wine glasses and the space she works out of. It’s loads of work, but you can definitely feel the passion she has for creating. And nothing beats getting to spend the afternoon with her and her pups.

If you didn’t already know, Janet now takes custom orders. Each candle can be put in the vessel of your choice and personalized to your liking. She just wrapped up a custom order for a bride and her bridesmaids. Such a good gift idea!

We’re currently working on our very own From 6th Collective scent with the help of Janet, so stay on the lookout for that. Nailing the ratios of all of the scents we are dreaming up is a lot harder than it sounds, but we’re very excited for the end result!

Find her candles online or in-store at The Collective. She also offers scent samples on her website if you’re still on the fence on which one you’d like.