WRITTEN BY JORDAN KOSSUTH
Photo by Layah Lauchié (Carbon Stories)
At Bridge Street Market, you’ll find a myriad of gift-ready items made by local artisans, and among them is Gracewood Candles, owned and operated by a woman named Alisha Lauchie. Alisha Lauchié’s path took her to West Michigan about 10 years ago by way of Grand Valley State University, where she was pursuing a degree in social work. A desire to help people had always been her driving passion, but as her studies began completely consuming her free time, it was Alisha that needed help. She had seen patients struggling to find joy and hope, and without an outlet to express her artistic side she resonated with that, feeling a lack of creative fulfillment and inspiration.
“Once you get out in the ‘real world’, you realize that you haven’t made as much time and space for those other things that bring you joy.” – Alisha Lauchie
In fact, her experiences in the social work field indirectly led her into candle-making. As most college students, Alisha didn’t have a lot of disposable income to spend on Christmas gifts. Her sole creative outlet during this time was making personalized handmade gifts for family and friends – one year coming across a candle-making tutorial. The feedback on her handmade candles was overwhelmingly encouraging, and she started getting excited about an appealing and creative way to earn some extra income while also expressing herself.
Photo by Layah Lauchié (Carbon Stories)
MATTHEW 5:14
Alisha didn’t just want to make candles – she wanted to make candles with a positive and uplifting message. Matthew 5:14, one of her favorite passages of scripture, reads “You are the light of the world.” In 2016, Alisha began brightening people’s days with her vibrant handmade candles, starting a business named after the verse.
One learning experience she’s encountered along the journey – the importance of trademarking your business name. She highlights that the loss of her original business name was more of an opportunity than an obstacle, as she rose to the occasion to re-brand and make some aesthetic changes inspired by her 5 years in the business. A self-described “classic over-thinker,” it took a while to come up with the perfect name.
Above all, Alisha wanted to maintain the brand’s intentions of spreading light and representing hope. With that in mind, Gracewood Candles is a combination of two important sources of hope in Alisha’s life – Grace for the Nations being the church her family attends, and Wildwood Ranch, a transformative camp she attended in high school and later returned to as a counselor.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A CANDLE-STICK MAKER
The candle-making process is much more scientific than you might expect, with formulas being developed, tested, and perfected over time. The main materials used are wax, fragrance oil, wicks, and jars – but there are a variety of factors to take into consideration when developing a signature formula or a new scent. Are you using the right ratio of fragrance oil to wax? At what temperature and time should you add in the oils? Are you using the right wick-size and material? Can you smell the candle whether it is lit or un-lit?
Gracewood Candles are all made with cotton wicks and non-toxic, skin-safe fragrance oils made specifically for candles and soaps. She is intentional in her use of wicks without zinc or metals, and oils that are phthalate-free to ensure that chemicals aren’t emitted into your home when lit.
An average production day sees Alisha making between 50–100 candles. The magic begins with a 65-pound wax melter filled with flakes of soy wax. Once the flakes have melted into a liquid, she carefully measures and mixes in fragrance oils, adheres wicks in the jars, and hand pours the wax. The wicks are then set using a special tool to ensure they remain upright as the wax cools. After cutting the wicks down to size, adding labels, and cleaning off any excess materials, the result is a professionally hand-made candle ready to bring light and hope to your home!
Each candle is made in Alisha’s home studio – a home that is blessed with a family that continues to grow. “It’s been a challenging and cool journey to find this balance between being both an entrepreneur and a mom,” says Alisha, grateful for the support of her husband, Evan, along with a strong network of friends and family. Alisha runs all the social media accounts, sharing photos provided by local creative agency, Carbon Stories. She is thrilled by how well they have been able to capture the vision of her brand – due in part to the hard work and involvement of Carbon Stories’ Erik and Layah Lauchié – her brother and sister-in-law!
THE LIFE COLLECTION
Until recently, Alisha was still a practicing therapist. She also works contractually for Urban Core Collective, an organization focused on sustaining, uniting, and advocating for historically marginalized communities to help reduce the effects of systemic racism and create a more equitable Grand Rapids. This involvement, along with her experiences as a therapist, have had a significant impact on the business.
“Social work has not just been a job, but a training and framework that has developed how I think about and view the world. I use it almost every day to see people beyond what you see on the surface – how their experiences, emotions and thoughts come together to form who they are.” – Alisha Lauchie
Whether interacting at local markets, designing updated packaging, or developing new scents, Alisha is always considering her customer base and what feelings or emotions the finished product is intended to evoke. This has manifested in unique jars specific to each collection, as well as materials to accompany each candle – one example is a postcard insert with a mindfulness exercise encouraging the reader to take a moment and pause, breath deeply, and relax while enjoying the fragrance.
Each of the 10 candles in The Life Collection have single-word names, a term that speaks to what we as humans need and feel at different times in our lives. The lemongrass scented Hope Candle seeks to inspire, uplift, and evoke hopefulness. A state of tranquility and quiet can be found with the lavender/chamomile blended Peace Candle. And for those seeking the strength to face difficulty, look no further than the sandalwood scented Courage candle. All 10 candles in the Life Collection are also accompanied by scripture that speaks to their intention and provides encouragement.
Photo by Layah Lauchié (Carbon Stories)
THE ORIGINAL COLLECTION
Alisha’s favorite candle is without a doubt Sugar Cookie, a birthday cake inspired design made with real sugar sprinkles that melt down, filling the room with the sweet scent of freshly baked vanilla sugar cookies. This candle is from The Original Collection, a variety of inspiring fragrances in a sleek jar, topped off with a gold lid.
The Original Collection also includes the first scent she designed for commercial sale, Clean Linen, a sky-blue candle topped with notes of lemon and green apple. Other popular scents include Lemon Verbena, Eucalyptus Peppermint, and the rich, fruity profile of Love Spell. If you’re looking to add a pop of color to your space, you can’t go wrong with any from this collection!
Photo by Ashley Wierenga
FINDING LIGHT AT BRIDGE STREET MARKET
Alisha graduated from SpringGR’s Small Business Accelerator program, which aims to help new entrepreneurs develop skills necessary to flourish. The local cohort of small business owners that make up SpringGR are passionate about setting their graduates up for success, passing along inquiries from businesses looking for new vendors.
When the message went out that Meijer was looking to feature some local, diverse small businesses, Alisha eagerly put together a pitch deck. She was thrilled when she got the call that Gracewood Candles was one of the vendors selected for Bridge Street Market. You can find a variety of hand-poured Gracewood Candles in the gift shop at the market, with best-sellers from the Original and Life Collections, as well as some seasonal favorites.
Alisha says that watching orders come in and getting positive reviews on her candles is still a surreal feeling, always excited to see that someone is interested in buying the hand-made fruits of her labor. While the enthusiasm remains, a lot has changed over the past six years. She has completely rebranded, with a bold and meaningful new name, and sleek updated packaging.
Her favorite piece of scripture has changed as well, now finding inspiration from Romans 15:13 when it comes to themes that have stood out along her journey – hope, joy, and peace.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Photo by Ashley Wierenga