Buffawix Candle Co
Kristine Bailey is the face behind Buffawix Candle Co. It all started when her kids were having a craft show at school: her daughter made earrings and she made 300 candles, but the show was canceled last-minute due to the pandemic. This left Kristine with hundreds of candles, so she started to give them away, and her business blossomed. After having been in medical sales for over 15 years and losing her job due to COVID, she decided to turn Buffawix Candle Co. into an LLC. All of the candles are made right in her home!
Kristine recognized a need for a minimalistic style soy candle that is both modern and clean burning in Western New York. Most of her candles offer black and white labeling, and since there isn’t any coloring in the soy wax, they match every home. Buffawix Candle Co. prides itself on using 100% American grown soybean wax, which allows for a cleaner and stronger burn versus petroleum-based paraffin wax. The wicks themselves are eco-friendly and made from cotton with no lead or zinc. The fragrance oils used are carefully selected and are 100% phthalate free.
Mom & Entrepreneur All-in-One
Kristine is not only an entrepreneur – she’s a mom entrepreneur. With two children, she shares that running her business out of her home while also being a parent is both interesting and not easy, but has definitely been worth every minute. Every day is long and it’s a seven-day-a-week job. While her two children always come first, they also understand sacrifice. Owning her own business means Kristine can be flexible but also means she has to work some strange hours. “I think to be a successful mom entrepreneur means learning to pivot at any given moment, learning to prioritize daily tasks, and incorporating our children as much as possible,” she shares.
The City of Good Neighbors & Fundraising Efforts
Even though Buffawix Candle Co. is a small business, each candle is hand-poured and handcrafted with the utmost care. Kristine wants all her customers to be 100% satisfied. Her business is growing every day thanks to the support of locals in Buffalo and other areas of WNY. She shares that Buffalo being the City of Good Neighbors remains in the back of her mind, and she wants to make a difference in her community as an entrepreneur. She plans to keep Buffawix Candle Co. local and would eventually like to rent a space in Buffalo so she can create even more unique candles.
While Kristine would like to continue growing her small business, she would also like to continue to help with different community fundraising events. Buffawix Candle Co. has helped raise funds for Damar Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation, Buddy’s Second Chance, Ten Lives Club, Hope Rises, PUNT Pediatric Cancer Collaborative, Buffalo Gives, Feedmore WNY, the Kevin Guest House, and Sweet Buffalo, along with many others so far. Kristine adores this side of her business because she can help people in need in her own community. Plus, she helps with fundraising for local schools and sports teams where every candle sold puts $5 toward the organization.
Kristine’s Entrepreneurial Successes
Since 2020, the majority of Buffawix Candle Co.’s candles have been sold at Rustic Buffalo Artisan Market at their North Tonawanda location, along with their new location in East Aurora. Rustic Buffalo also does a number of Sip and Shops where Buffawix Candle Co. and hundreds of other small businesses sell their products. Buffawix Candle Co. now has its own website – buffawixcandleco.com – as well as offering local pickup and shipping anywhere in the United States!
Buffawix Candle Co. offers private or white label candles as well with wholesale pricing. Candles make an excellent gift to celebrate closing on a new home so they’ve made exclusive labels for mortgage brokers and real estate agents as well as many other businesses.
With the help of her husband, Kristine realized that she was missing a major market: men love candles, too! Buffawix Candle Co. now has a men’s line of candles in matte black jars, including scents like Evening Sit, On the Rocks, Gunpowder, Tobacco Leather, and Gameday. Kristine shares that being the “candle lady” has taught her a lot, but one of the most important things was that men enjoy candles just as much as women.
The Benefits of Soy Candles
Have you ever wondered why people love soy candles so much? While they smell wonderful and offer a cleaner burn, there are even more benefits to having them in your home.
Promotes relaxation: There is nothing better than lighting a candle at the end of a long day and then taking a bath, reading a book, or watching your favorite movie. Plus, choosing scents that have a calming effect will only increase your sense of relaxation. Scents like lavender, eucalyptus, and their Just Breathe scent (peppermint and eucalyptus) are all examples of excellent relaxing scents.
Improves your mood: Think about your favorite fragrance. Why do you love it so much? Whatever the reason, it’s probably connected to a pleasant experience. Walking into a room, smelling a scent you like, and associating it with something positive is an instant mood booster that makes you feel happy and content. You may choose to have one scent while working from home and another during your evening relaxation.
Adds to your home décor: Candles are a perfectly neutral piece that can be added to kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms.
All Buffawix Candle Co. candles are made in small, hand-poured batches. Due to fluctuating temperatures in Buffalo, some candles may have slight variations in color and scent as well as may contain “frosting,” which is a natural reaction to soy wax when temperature fluctuates.
Coming This Fall…
Buffawix Candle Co. candles come in various vessels as well as tons of scents. Kristine has made over 100 scents since she started, including her very popular football season themed candles and a men’s line of candles. Any of them complement any home décor! Plus, what better way to celebrate the arrival of fall than with a great-smelling, cozy candle? The fall and football scents, like Cherry Pale Al-Len (beer and cherry), Saffron Diggs (ginger and saffron), and their Gameday candle (sweet grass and leather) are all great options.
Buffawix Candle Co. makes skull vessel candles that are so much fun to use as décor during the Halloween season. Kristine will also offer amber-colored vessels this autumn, giving her customers more variety for their fall candles this year, including a Halloween line with candles such as “Graveyard” and “Witching Hour.”
Buffawix Candle Co. creates custom candles for weddings, baby showers, bridal shower favors, and more. Contact Kristine with any questions or visit buffawixcandleco.com today to place an order.
