Welcome to Meet The Maker, we're over the moon to have you here.
The gorgeous brand we are excited to introduce you to is Alchemy Lane. Based out of New Zealand, Deena is a master all things candles and fragrance. Come to fruition in the year of 2017, Alchemy Lane has gone from success to success.
We've been lucky enough to work with Deena on the coming piece, so let's jump into it.
Tell us a bit about how you found your way towards Alchemy Lane. How did you get into it, and what were your first pieces?
I started candle making as a hobby in 2017, as quite frankly I was buying so many candles for my home I thought it might be smart to start making my own! My friends and family really liked what I was making so they started buying from me and telling their friends about me, and all of a sudden Alchemy Lane was born. A couple of years ago I started to sell in the local market here in Nelson and loved the feedback I was getting on my candles. I then developed the website so visitors to the market could also buy online, and at that point I started to get interest from retail stores. I have been blown away by the support my business has received throughout NZ. Alchemy Lane at its heart is a hobby business born out of a love of candles. When it started I never imagined it would grow into what it is today. While Alchemy Lane is still a very small business, I can’t wait to see what 2023 brings. At the moment I'm a one man band (with a little help from my partner, Travis), however, I'm hoping to hire additional candle makers in the area over the next couple of years as the business continues to grow.
Is there one item or perhaps a collection in particular that is your all-time favourite?
Black Raspberry & Vanilla is an all time favourite of mine. It's just a scent that gives me warm fuzzies inside. It has a lovely balance of sweetness and tartness, underpinned by the warmth of a vanilla base. It's pure indulgence and brings a sense of luxury to the room. I love coming home after a long day out and walking through the door to that smell (ofter lingering from having burnt the candle the day before!) It's divine.
Tell us about your space, where do you create your work, do you work with others or have your own space?
I make all of the candles in my home studio attached to my house, in lovely little Nelson, NZ. The studio is set up like a workshop, but is not what I would call a factory. I hand pour the candles in small batches of 10 candles at a time, so these are definitely not a product that is mass produced in a factory setting. While this can be time consuming, it also ensures each and every candle is made to an exceptionally high standard. I largely work alone, and often listen to 80’s and 90’s rock to keep me company. My cat Ruby is usually close by as well - she can be an intense production supervisor, watching everything I do (she is also known to sleep on the job though, so isn’t partially dedicated to the cause!)
What do you do to switch off?
Switch off? What’s that? Just joking, although the business has been fairly hectic over the last year so there is an element of truth in that! To be honest I'm a bit of a workaholic, but mainly as I love my work and love seeing my business grow. When I do take a break, it's usually to go hiking or camping in and around Nelson. While I'm originally from Nelson, I spent a lot of time living and working overseas in big cities when I was younger (before Alchemy Lane was born). Now that I’m back I love making the most of what NZ has to offer by heading outdoors as much as possible. NZ is literally stunning, and I don’t think I fully appreciated that until I returned back home. I feel very lucky to be able to live in this part of the world again and "switch off” by getting out into the great outdoors.
How would you describe your brand in 3 words?
Contemporary, elegant and sleek.
OUR FAVOURITE ALCHEMY LANE PRODUCTS:
So there you have it, a little breakdown on our brand new brand Alchemy Lane. We really do predict a best seller with their gorgeous candles, so do make sure to pop in store and smell their lovely scents.