Select a region
It began as an idea in lockdown and after some experimentation, trial and error, Pretty Okay Candle Co. was born.
Now with branches in Guernsey and Jersey, the business has become a community hub and shown you can step into high street retail with fresh ideas and confidence.
We met Claire Bethell as part of Express’ weekly spotlight celebrating small businesses in the island...
Claire has a non-retail background in dentistry. The idea came in 2020 during the first covid lockdown when she was living in Jersey and furloughed from her job as a Dental Hygienist. As a lover of beautiful and usually quite expensive scents, she set about making her own candles to keep busy and quickly discovered that it was not going to be as easy as first thought.
Through trial and error, plenty of experimentation, watching YouTube tutorials and joining online forums, she started working with glassware, waxes, scented oils and wicks until she turned out products that she was happy with.
She tested and gave some to family and friends to cheer them up during lockdown and the positive feedback spurred me on to start working on local markets and stalls (post-lockdown) very successfully, until she ran a pop up shop in De Gruchy department store in Jersey, which sold out completely. Now, she has expanded into Guernsey.
The expansion into retail was a small leap of faith and happened quite by accident. One of my friends sent details of a shop in St Helier that was up for lease, so I checked it out and realised immediately that it could be more than just a shop. The store in the High Street here followed last year.
I said to myself – "I can’t surely be the only person that enjoys making scented candles, so why not use half the space to run workshops where others can derive the same enjoyment and the other half to offer my range of natural products?"
The business is also very much a family affair. Our name came from my husband, who, having smelt her umpteenth attempt at candle making, said, "Yeah, that’s pretty ok," so the name stuck.
My sister Polly is a florist and highly creative, so now manages the High Street store and Aunties and Mum also help out.
Pretty OK Candle Co’s products are all kind to the environment and based natural plant-based coconut wax blends. My candles are clean burning, vegan friendly, cruelty free, plastic free and come with re-usable jars, plus I offer refill services and home delivery.
We operate from a store in each island and promote a whole fragrance range, including diffusers, wax melts, soap, lotions and bath bombs and also hosts workshops in both Islands.
These include evening sessions for social clubs, groups or friends and corporates events and, during the day for smaller groups, birthdays, baby showers and hen parties.
Retail is so varied and I get to meet and interact with so many people.
Scent is also about personal likes and dislikes which is what makes our Candle Bar so much fun – customers can pick glassware to suit their style and make a bespoke scented candle that suits your personal taste and personality.
I believe that the pandemic has altered people’s perceptions so we have to adapt to these changes. Post-covid, I do think people are looking for shared and fun experiences, so pretty much any reason to get together to create and celebrate.
Many are now interested in self-care with more working from home and it is just lovely to have a beautifully smelling home – scent is the first thing people notice when they enter a house.
What sets you apart?
I would like to think my experience shows that despite the challenges of the pandemic, higher costs of living and general economic uncertainty, it is possible to step into the retail arena with confidence, intuition, and business savvy and ultimately lead to success.
Each of my shops is becoming not just a retail outlet but a small community hub, where some customers return to the workshops regularly to participate in additional sessions.
I am always trying to see if we can improve in some way, whether it’s packaging or an ingredient or bringing out exciting new unique scents.
It would be fabulous for our products to be loved in many Guernsey and Jersey homes or bought as souvenirs by visitors and taken home. By doing this we hopefully bring a fun experience to those who come to the Islands, along with some lovely memories of shared, fun times at our workshops.
One of my favourite things about Guernsey is the food, as there are so many wonderful places to eat out, especially seafood. We have great local produce, amazing butter and the best tasting tomatoes.
Our favourite thing to do in the Summer is island hop, so spending a day in Herm or Sark exploring, jumping from harbour walls and sea swimming with the kids. Christmas in Herm is just magical.
I love the local community and that my family and closest friends are never far away. The honesty of the people on the island is incredible, making it a very safe and welcoming place to live.
We love the laid back, outdoors Guernsey lifestyle and in particular going on coastal walks – the unspoilt rugged and sandy beaches with our stunning scenery.
My other spot is Lihou, so walking out at low tide, finding unusual looking seaweed and blue butterfly spotting and making a day of it.
Find Pretty Okay Candle Co. at 32 High Street. You can visit their website and follow them on Instagram. Call Claire on 07797 888124 or email support@prettyokaycandleco.com.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.