I am basically an artist and candle maker turned accidental entrepreneur.

I used to live in Ocean Beach (“OB”), a wonderful laid back beach community in San Diego, CA. I worked in a little boutique that sold handmade jewelry and candles; my absolute favorite candle scent was Nag Champa. This quaint little OB shop opened my eyes to how many chemicals were in conventional store bought candles and I was shocked.

Eventually, my little family and I moved back to Key West and not only did I struggle with not being in San Diego anymore, I also missed not being able to buy my favorite Nag Champa candle whenever I wanted.

Then it hit me. Why don’t I just learn to make my own Nag Champa candles?

I bought all of the supplies and hit the ground running. I soon found myself experimenting with all sorts of different scents including coconut, bourbon, bamboo, eucalyptus, and cinnamon. Slowly but surely, candle making began pulling me out of my San Diego depression and I began participating in the Key West Artisan Markets as a vendor. The first candle scent I ever made was “1502”.

Without knowing what I wanted my labels to look like, and knowing the expense it would be to hire a graphic designer, I decided to hand paint them. To my surprise, I unknowingly created my brand by doing so. I love how every candle is unique and personal and it's always heart warming when people recognize my candles by the hand painted touch. And no, I do not use a paint marker. Each label is painted with a paint brush and acrylic paint.

Where did the name “Bella Laine” come from? 

Both my daughter Isabella and I share the same middle name “Elaine”, after my grandmother. Grandma Elaine is also an artist and I can remember spending hours and hours in her art room as a child – she deserves all the credit for my lifetime love of the arts. So one morning, when my daughter was still a baby, I was making a macrame plant holder as she sat in my lap, and it just came to me: Bella Laine. A combination of Isa“bella” and E“laine”, two very important women in my life. And it has stuck with me ever since.

How did I go from being a part time candle maker to a full on boutique owner? 

When I began my candle business, I also worked as a bartender at Prime Steakhouse. So I would work in my studio during the mornings while my daughter was in school, I would do school pick up, then go into my bartending shift at night. During that time my studio was strictly candles and one line of earrings and a line of essential oil rollers, both made by friends. I would hear "Oh, it's just candles." constantly from people passing by my store. After feeling like I never saw my daughter anymore, I began feeling the need to make my business more full time to allow myself to be home at night. With that idea, I also knew I needed to scale my boutique from more than just candles. I began reaching out to friends that were makers and small businesses I was a customer of to see how I could carry their products and it slowly took off from there. Everything that was in my shop had a story to why it was there. 

How do I keep Bella Laine unique and different from other boutiques?

Each and every piece in the shop is curated and hand picked by me and I try to always carry products that have connections or a personal story as to why they are in my boutique. As I continue to expand what I carry, I always stay true to choosing quality over quantity.

I have learned that when you allow yourself to let your guard down and to not be afraid of how others will view your ideas, there’s a whole new world that will appreciate your work and see it more beautifully than you do. 

I hope you love my candles, my curations, and my boutique just as much I love creating them!

-With love, Emily Shipman