Meet Lauren Yarina | Chandler (Professional term for candle maker. Who knew??)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Yarina and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I grew up in northeast Ohio and after college I moved to North Carolina, (for the weather of course). My background and upbringing has highs and lows just like most of your readers. Both the highs and the lows certainly impacted where I am at today. I think my childhood lacked basic compassion and loving communication. As a result, I became, and still am, an empath. An empath is a person who has the capacity to feel what another person is experiencing, in so many words. I was always “reading the room” to try to predict future heated arguments. Fast forward to adulthood, and my empathetic trait followed. When my friends or family hurt, I hurt with them. In one instance I decided to make a candle to cheer a friend up, and soon thereafter, my small business was unexpectedly born. Everything about it was very organic, but what has kept it going, is seeing the positive effects my candles have had on others. I love the quirky names that make people laugh. I love that simply gifting one of my candles can uplift a person. I think I just love playing a small role in bringing happiness to someone.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I don’t believe I am naturally artistic. I was a candle consumer before I was a candlemaker. When I decided to make candles seriously, I simply thought about what I would like in a candle and produced that. A fantastic scent with equally amazing scent throw, beautiful packaging, clean ingredients that are animal and human safe, attention grabbing candle names. I tried to check all of those boxes.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If a friend was visiting for a week, I would take them either to the mountains or the beach (depending on the time of year) for a few of those days. At the beach, we would have to swing by Elijah’s for some calamari and in Asheville, Limones for dinner.

For our time in Raleigh, there are a few places I think we would hit up. A bakery on Lake Pine Dr in Cary called The Sweetest Things, has MOUTHWATERING desserts. The brownies and pound cake are my favorite. Any excuse to visit, I am there.

I probably would take them to the Midtown Market at North Hills on Saturday. I think they have unique vendors out there and North Hills is nice in general. You can find everything you need to make a beautiful 3 course meal out there with fresh and local ingredients. I also like the idea of running by The Butcher’s Market to grab some eats. Did you know they serve sandwiches there?? They are really good!!

I can’t say I have a favorite restaurant in Raleigh. I am a bit of a foodie so I like to try new places. Currently I think Chidos has the best tacos and queso, the Peddler Steakhouse has fantastic meats along with Angus Barn, Burney’s Sweets has great sweets.

Again, depending on the time of year, paddle boarding at Lake Wheeler or going for a walk around Umstead might be on tap. Hell, we could even people watch at RDU or Crabtree Valley.

If we are getting inked, I’d take my friend to Blackbird Studio in Mebane, NC

Or we stay inside, hang out with my pup, and make candles

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Wow! Good question. I would like to shoutout to my loyal customers. There are definitely times being a 9-5 AND a small business owner when I want to just throw in the towel. It can be very exhausting, trust me. BUT then I attend a candle show or receive an email from my wonderful customers who express their gratitude or share how my snarky named candle brought laughter when it was much needed. Those moments keep me going. At this point, I would feel like I was letting folks down if I just stopped making candles. So as long as you all keep supporting, I will keep making!

I’m going to shoutout to my dad too. He is my rock. I have learned a lot from him….. I mean A LOT. He taught me to keep putting one foot in front of the other, even when you feel like you can’t. He taught me about the importance of having a solid work ethic. He encouraged my independence and tried to prepare me for the adversities I could face being a woman working in a male dominated field and a small business owner. He also always emphasized supporting Made in America. To honor him, I have a luxury candle line called The Michael John Label. The jars are hand blown in North Carolina driving home his appreciation for small, local business.

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