How have you been this week, dear reader? Are you staying hydrated, and drinking enough water? Finding time to reflect on the year we’ve all had?
Yes, I might just be sending you my to-do list this past week, but I do believe that this is something we could all be doing. And if the tone of this blog sounds a lot these past few weeks, well honey, strap in because I’m in my zone. Fall is my favorite season and I love to not shut up about coziness, candles, and contemplation...and a fresh batch of Bartlett’s Apple Cider Donuts.
But enough about donuts (for now). We’ve made it to the top of another month, and it’s time for another artist spotlight. Every month, we spotlight a Berkshires artisan who’s work we display and sell at The Shop. And this month is Shire Fire Candles!
A staple in the Berkshires (you’ll recognize their label from Williamstown to Sheffield), Shire Fire has been making candles since 2017, and is owned by two youth entrepreneurs, Grace Proskin, and Izzy Brown.
We have been lucky to sit down with Shire Fire and learn more about their work, their inspirations, and a beautiful message we could all use (I told you this is a great time for reflection).
What an incredible story about the origins of Shire Fire. Would you mind telling me more about that? Shire Fire Candles was started in 2017 by youth entrepreneurs Grace Proskin (at the time 11) and Izzy Brown (at the time age 10). Our family took a trip to Ireland, and while exploring the Irish countryside on road trips visited many local crafters along the way that sold crafts out of their homes. One of our stops was a small candle company in which a man was making local candles in scents and colors inspired by the Irish countryside. When we returned to the US, the girls came back inspired to create something of their own. The candle shop was memorable to them, and they asked, "Hey could we create a candle company just like that, but inspire the scents in color by the Berkshires? With that Shire Fire Candles was born. The girls along with their parents, researched and explored proper candle making, created relationships with suppliers, and started designing a logo. They took their first batch to a Youth Booth at the Downtown Pittsfield Farmers market and sold out within an hour. After that, people and stores sought them out. They now have over a dozen loyal retailers that carry their products. The product line has developed from a simple line of soy candles in aluminum tins to include glass pillar, wax melts, smelly jelly air fresheners, and a full line of custom designed wedding, baby shower, and party candle favors.
I love how your candles all are named after places and highlights in the Berkshires. What made you want to do this? The Irish Candle maker the girls visited, was making his candles in scents and colors inspired by Ireland. In addition, many of them had clever Irish names. When the girls were initially planning out the idea for the company, naming the candles after popular attractions, places, and cities in towns within the Berkshires really became the idea to differentiate their product from other soy candle companies in the area. Visitors to our area really enjoy taking home a little piece of the Berkshires with them, so to have a candle named Clouds Over Greylock, Bash Bish Falls, or Mass Mocha really seemed to register with our target customers.
Is there an artist or entrepreneur in particular that inspires Shire Fire? Really the inspiration behind this entrepreneurship came from Ireland and the candlemaker located there. The girls however have had many other women owned companies reach out to them to help mentor, offer words of encouragement, or to just support their company. In fact the UMass Women Into Leadership Program reached out to them to supply soy candles for their national conference. How cool is that? They truly love each and every one of their customers, and many of them have become more like friends over the years. They could not have gotten to where they are without the support of their customers and their repeat business, along with the retailers that commit to working with them to provide quality soy candles for their shops.
What’s your favorite spot in the Berkshires to tell people about (besides The Shop of course)? Ohhh we love The Shop! Oskar is so good to the girls and their company and we try to tell people to go visit there every chance we get! Probably our favorite spot in the Berkshires to visit and talk about besides the shop is Tanglewood. It just has so much connection to our family. Both Izzy, Grace, and their sister Emma are very talented musicians. Grace and Izzy both play with the Kids 4 Harmony String program here in the Berkshires. In addition, they both participate with the Longy School of Music Advanced String Orchestra in Cambridge MA. Grace has been selected as part of Western Districts, as well as the YOLA National Youth Orchestra in Los Angeles. Tanglewood is our family happy place to go and enjoy a night out, a picnic on the lawn and some music. Recently the girls released their Symphony on the Lawn Soy Candle in honor of Tanglewood and its impact in their lives. A quick funny side note story is that Grace had the opportunity to meet John Williams when she attended the DARTS camp at Tanglewood (although she didn't know who he was). A few nights later we attended E.T. with John Williams Conducted and she told us that "the guy on the screen was conducting them a few days ago at DARTS."
As an artist living in 2021, what is one message you want to spread to the world? Izzy & Grace want to be an inspiration to other young entrepreneurs and artists. They also want to show other young women to not be afraid, and create something and put your work out there to see and enjoy. You never know what an idea and some little hard work can accomplish until you try. These girls continue to show that through yearly growth here at Shire Fire Candles.
Thank you so much to Shire Fire Candles for sharing your incredible story! If you’re interested in more of VER, check out the Shire Fire Candles website, and of course, see their work at The Shop.
Until next time!
Philip
