About us
Hi, I'm Tracie, the owner of Kimliboo Candles.
After twenty five years as a primary school teacher, I took the bold decision to focus on improving my work-life balance and leave the profession. After searching for 'alternative jobs for teachers' with little success (most of the suggestions involved lengthy or expensive retraining), I came across an online forum of people who had started candle making in their spare time, but then turned it into a small business. An idea that I could do the same was starting to grow. I had always loved candles but had never thought of making my own. Armed with a kit I bought online, I watched countless videos and made lots of practice candles in my kitchen, which I then gave to family and friends to try out for me and provide me with feedback.
There is a recommendation called the '84 candle rule' that suggests you should make 84 candles and give most of them away without selling them - this provides the candle-maker with plenty of opportunities to master their candle craft skills. I'm not saying I followed this recommendation exactly, but I came pretty close to making and gifting 84 candles before I felt confident that the quality of what I was producing was a sellable product. So, in November 2023, I set up my candle making business for the first time with an online shop and my first foray into selling in person - at a school Christmas Fair. It was nerve-wracking, but I was lucky that I had worked at the school previously so saw lots of friendly faces who were willing to buy my candles.
My time in the classroom taught me the importance of patience, creativity and innovation. Now I channel that same passion into creating handcrafted candles, wax melts and reed diffusers, each one made with care and attention to detail. For me, it is important that these products are also as eco-friendly as possible. I believe strongly that we should aim to minimise harm to the environment, conserve natural resources and promote a healthier planet for the current and future generations.
Each candle is hand poured in small batches using high quality 100% soy wax which is sustainably sourced in the UK. Cotton or wooden wicks enable each candle to burn cleanly and the ethically sourced fragrances and dyes are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and paraben-free. As a business, my aim is to ensure that from production to packaging, I use materials that are sustainable, reusable, recyclable or compostable in order to minimise any negative environmental impact. So whether you are lighting candles to create a cosy, relaxing ambience, to relieve stress and improve mental well-being, to trigger emotional memories, to increase focus or to add stylish decor to a room, you can be sure of a candle that doesn't cost the earth.
I have found it very challenging, but rewarding at the same time, to learn new skills as I continue to develop my expertise in a different field. Starting a candle-making business has provided me with a relaxing and therapeutic alternative to teaching. I hope to share the light and warmth of my candles with you, just as I once shared my knowledge and inspiration with my pupils.
Tracie
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Although I am the founder and owner of the business, I could not do it without the support of my family. They are my sounding board for every area of the business - my 'behind the scenes' support. They give advice on fragrance choices, candle design, whether a candle has a good cold or hot throw when I have gone 'nose blind', label design, packaging suggestions, setting up of spreadsheets for tracking finances, at in person markets - the list goes on!