Small business: Ella B. Candles light up Charlotte neighborhoods

Husband and wife team Julie and Christopher Tassy own Ella B. Candles, a custom candle manufacturer. Their candles are hand-poured in their shop on Monroe Road using pure, un-colored soy, cotton wicks and high quality fragrance oils.

Ella B. Candles, named for their youngest daughter, had a precarious start. Julie fell into custom candles while selling personalized gifts from her home. She started creating personalized candles, sourcing materials through a vendor at a local farmer’s market.

These candles quickly became popular, and in 2011, a store representative in Cotswold asked Julie for a Cotswold candle, named after the neighborhood. This was the beginning to Ella B. Candles and their neighborhood line.

“Before you know it, everyone wanted their neighborhood candle,” says Christopher, who goes by his last name, Tassy. Ella B. Candles developed a neighborhood line in Charlotte and several cities across the country. They grew from six employees to 22 within a few years. Tassy quit his job at IBM more than three years ago to become Julie’s business partner.

In addition to candles for most of the neighborhoods in Charlotte, they also have custom candles for Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge and certain sororities, and have the ability to create candles for baby showers, weddings and other special events. A favorite fragrance is the grapefruit, citrus and evergreen, which is also the Myers Park candle.

Another popular scent is the Queen City candle, made with leather, tea and pomegranate. Votives, tins, tumblers and 11 oz. jars may be purchased locally at Paper Skyscraper, Creative by Nature, The Cubbyhole, Green with Envy, Blis, Alphabet Soup and On the Square for $15 and up.

Tassy answers questions for C5’s Small Business Series:

How did you know you wanted to be a small business owner?

“We really didn’t plan it this way. It evolved into a small business. And because of the opportunity and the niche market, we grabbed the opportunity and ran.”

What are the challenges of owning a business with your spouse?

“When I joined Ella B. Candles, I learned how brilliant my wife is from a business perspective. We are a team and we complement one another. She is great with vision. She is great with operations. I am great with implementation and people.

“The biggest challenge is that our marriage is on display. Everyone has seen us argue, and everyone has seen us recover as well.”

Your business has grown quickly. How have you managed that growth with staffing the business?

“It is referrals. We have moms that work here. We want moms to plug-in and have the flexibility with hours. We have provided a fun and safe family environment.

“Moms are a responsible, untapped market for small businesses to hire.”

In your opinion, what is the worst thing you can do as a business owner?

“Be driven by debt. If you are in over your head, it WILL impact your decision making, how you handle your employees, your humility and your generosity.”

Your family is important to you. What do you do together during down time?

“Ella and Harper (our older daughter) play club volleyball so we travel all over the region and east coast for tournaments. Once a week, we watch ‘This is Us.’ We are totally hooked.”

Ella B. Candles: 9517 Monroe Road

Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; closed Saturday and Sunday

Photos: Sarah Newlon, Ella B. Candles

Family history and my own fascination with people and their motivations prompted me to begin this series about Charlotte’s small business owners. Industry, situation and questions will vary. Have a suggestion for a small business owner or entrepreneur to interview? Email it to vanessainfanzon@gmail.com with the subject line “Small Business Series.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Small business: Ella B. Candles light up Charlotte neighborhoods."