How To Transform A Homemade Candle Dream Into A Global Brand
Executive Summary
P.F. Candle Co. founder Kristen Pumphrey describes building from craft fairs and handmade production, handling a large West Elm order and using customer-location data before opening in Brooklyn. She also discusses documenting the work, organic content and small collaborations. Notes cover selected business passages from the full public auto-captions and official Shopify show notes. Date matches the official April 15, 2025 release. Employee counts, orders and store performance are her account of the interview period, not current results or independent verification.
Key Takeaways
Five years before a break
She sold candles, pillows shaped like states and other crafts, and says PF may look like a straight line, but she felt stuck for about five years before the big break.
Make it yours
Her advice for new candle makers is not to try to be PF, since all brands you admire already exist. Find your niche. For her it was a unisex candle.
Write SOPs from day one
If you sell a craft good, you know every part of the process. She recommends writing SOPs so someone else could take them and make the product, which makes you strong when you start hiring.
Craft fairs
When she started she shared half a booth for about $250. Fairs put you in front of thousands of high-intent customers, but costs have risen, so be particular about covering them.
The 4,000-candle West Elm order
Her first big retail break was hand pouring 4,000 candles in her apartment in a month at about 100 a day. She says she worked out of fear of never getting another chance and now knows she had more power than she thought. The order funded the business.
Shopify data picks store locations
Customer location data showed a big base in Brooklyn, so they opened a store there on a low budget in a white box space with old fixtures. Brooklyn grew from the number four location to number two.
Build in public, skip early ads
She started on Instagram posting Tom pouring candles, and says building in public gets people to root for you. They did not run ads until about 2015, relying on organic social and email, and she calls paid advertising a bottomless pit with murky attribution.
The Conversation Breakdown
Five years before a break
⏱ Untimed topicShe sold candles, pillows shaped like states and other crafts, and says PF may look like a straight line, but she felt stuck for about five years before the big break.
Make it yours
⏱ Untimed topicHer advice for new candle makers is not to try to be PF, since all brands you admire already exist. Find your niche. For her it was a unisex candle.
Write SOPs from day one
⏱ Untimed topicIf you sell a craft good, you know every part of the process. She recommends writing SOPs so someone else could take them and make the product, which makes you strong when you start hiring.
Craft fairs
⏱ Untimed topicWhen she started she shared half a booth for about $250. Fairs put you in front of thousands of high-intent customers, but costs have risen, so be particular about covering them.
The 4,000-candle West Elm order
⏱ Untimed topicHer first big retail break was hand pouring 4,000 candles in her apartment in a month at about 100 a day. She says she worked out of fear of never getting another chance and now knows she had more power than she thought. The order funded the business.
Shopify data picks store locations
⏱ Untimed topicCustomer location data showed a big base in Brooklyn, so they opened a store there on a low budget in a white box space with old fixtures. Brooklyn grew from the number four location to number two.
Build in public, skip early ads
⏱ Untimed topicShe started on Instagram posting Tom pouring candles, and says building in public gets people to root for you. They did not run ads until about 2015, relying on organic social and email, and she calls paid advertising a bottomless pit with murky attribution.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Document before delegating
Write the production process while you know every step. Pumphrey says that makes it easier to bring someone else into the work when hiring begins.
Customer data before a store
Existing demand by location can inform where to test retail. The Brooklyn example is a specific outcome, not proof that sales data alone can predict a successful store.
Community and limited collaboration
Behind-the-scenes posts and small collaborations gave customers a reason to follow the brand. Distinguish a community-building project from one expected to drive substantial revenue.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Write the step-by-step process for your product so someone else can produce it.
- ✓Check your customer location data before choosing a retail location.
- ✓Post behind-the-scenes content for a few months before spending on ads.
- ✓Estimate production capacity before accepting an order much larger than your usual batch.
Notable Quotes
“I totally had that period of feeling stuck for honestly 5 years”
“you actually have more power than you think”
“I just didn't give up”
The One Thing to Remember
I totally had that period of feeling stuck for honestly 5 years