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

Hi Melody, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Rustic Pine Candle Company started as a hobby. I needed an outlet that took my mind off being a full-time student and living the military life. Candle making was that outlet for me. In 2022, I decided to further pursue this passion to be able to share these timeless creations with others. I never had the intention of being in business full-time, I was simply on a journey to find myself outside all of my roles.

In the summer of 2023, I had my first in-person market, which was purely by chance, that left me craving for more. The connections made through candle-making were just astonishing and I knew I had to keep pushing for more.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a child, I always knew exactly what I wanted to do. Immediately upon graduating high school, I joined the U.S. Army and proudly served for over 7 years. After getting married and starting a family, I began to feel that the active duty life was no longer for me. My priorities had changed and I yearned to be present for my children and be a more supportive spouse to my active duty husband who also wanted to further his military career.

After my time in the service, I went back to college and am now a graduate student of Criminology. I fulfilled my childhood dream of serving in the military and now I am living my next dream of working in the criminology field. Being a military spouse, raising children, being in school full-time, and trying to pursue my next dream has never been easy but it has been so fulfilling. Having our children watch their parents achieve their goals has also been very rewarding! Along the way I have worked in a homeless shelter and am currently working with a non-profit organization that combats domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

Although candle-making has become a full-time job in itself, it is still my outlet. It is the therapy I didn’t know I needed. This business and my chosen career path have brought me closer to my community. It made me look for ways to further connect myself with our locals. Because of this, Rustic Pine Candle Company continuously donates and supports other non-profit organizations that serve our military communities.

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.
It is always so fun to have friends and family visiting! I always try closing out my calendar ahead of time, when I know we will have visitors, but they always want to be involved in everything I do. It’s awesome that they also want to see what I do first-hand.

We absolutely love the beach and the mountains. West Jefferson being one of our most favorite places to visit, but there are also so many places locally that we like taking friends and family to. We love starting our mornings out at a local coffee shop, our favorites being Maisonette in downtown Southern Pines or Agora Cafe and Bakery in the Village of Pinehurst. We love going to the farmer’s markets to buy locally made items and goods (they are within sight of these cafes). Just walking through our downtown areas can be a bit of a culture shock for many because of the small town and the hallmark feel we have here. It is so picturesque. We love supporting local, so we like taking everyone to our favorite places and meeting some of our closest friends and community members that have made the biggest impacts on our lives.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The entire community of Moore County, North Carolina, and our special operations community deserves so much credit for being so accepting, encouraging and understanding! Without our locals, this business would not be where it is today!

Website: https://www.rusticpinecandleco.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rusticpinecandlecompany/

Image Credits
Kaitlyn Blake

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