Hand made with a passion: Local veteran starts candle business
PORT HURON — A local veteran has created his own candle business as a way to express his passion for the military and appreciation for the veteran community.
Sean Wright officially started Valor Light Candles in January. All of the candles are made by hand in his home kitchen. Wright said he wanted his niche to be within the veteran community, while also playing into his artistic side.
Currently, Wright is selling his candles on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/ValorLightCandles. His candles are also available at KM5 LLC, located at 812 Lapeer Ave., Suite A in Port Huron.
The first candle Wright made was scented like Japanese cherry blossoms and named "Okinawa" in tribute to his time stationed at the city's naval hospital. Wright said each candle is named in a way that references the military.
Other candles include "Combat Boots," which is scented like leather, and "Military Ball," which has a cologne scent.
"I started with scents I knew," Wright said. "Japanese cherry blossoms is a common scent and I wanted to represent the people who are stationed in Okinawa. But I have never found a leather scented candle in stores."
Wright served for five years as a Navy corpsman and worked in the Naval Hospital Okinawa and the Naval Medical Center Camp Lejune in North Carolina.
"The people I met when I served became a part of my family," Wright said. "People who I haven't seen in 10 years, I still talk to almost every single day."
Additionally, Wright has designed every aspect of the candles, including the labels. Each candle has a unique label on it that provides an extra tidbit about its name or scent. For instance, the "Okinawa" candle has an extra label that lists all of the military camps in the city.
Valor Light Candles recently launched two new candles. "The Field" is scented like fresh-cut grass while "Berry Compliance" is scented like mulberries.
Wright said he strives to make his candles perfect for his customers. He said he wants to make sure the colors and scents are just right before they get shipped to people.
"The military made me a bit more meticulous," he said.
In the future, Wright said he would like to expand into providing candles for large events such as weddings and retirement parties. He said he needs to get a larger wax melting pot and a larger supply of wax before trying to expand to accommodate those orders.
Wright said he would also like to start producing candles that are specifically for Memorial Day and other military holidays and birthdays. He said these candles would only come out once a year to commemorate those days.
Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: New Port Huron business Valor Light Candles
