MarionMade!: Local entrepreneur sparks new candle business

Special to the Marion Star
·3 min read

Each week, this series shares MarionMade! stories of our many wonderful people, places, products and programs in the greater Marion community. To read more positive stories of Marion, or to share some of your own, visit us at marionmade.org or on social media.

Kitty Kat Candles offers a wide variety of scents for both candles and wax melts along with free downloadable cards for customers. Most products are made-to-order and can be personalized.
Kitty Kat Candles offers a wide variety of scents for both candles and wax melts along with free downloadable cards for customers. Most products are made-to-order and can be personalized.

Kimberly Bryant opened her candle business in 2022.

“I’ve always loved candles and all things that smell great. I did my research on candle making and ran with it,” Kimberly said. “Essentially, what sets my business apart is a personal customer service experience. Plus, I use all-natural ingredients to make my candles and blend my scents.”

Since opening, Kimberly has branched out to include wax melts along with her candles. Customers can order these products from her website, kittykatcandlesco.com, and pick it up locally or have the items shipped. The re-MARCA-ble store in downtown Marion just started featuring Kitty Kat Candles as well.

“My products are made-to-order, so I try my best to have a quick turnaround time,” Bryant said. “I take pride in the creativity I put into my product, the labeling, the website and everything else in between. I have always been a very creative person, and being able to have a place to put that creativity to work in a tangible way has been a great experience.”

Kimberly Bryant is the owner of Kitty Kat Candles. She has lived in Marion off and on since 2013. She graduated from Harding High School in 2014. She is currently attending Marion Technical College working towards a degree in business media marketing. She hopes to use what she learns in her business classes to help grow her business into a success.
Kimberly Bryant is the owner of Kitty Kat Candles. She has lived in Marion off and on since 2013. She graduated from Harding High School in 2014. She is currently attending Marion Technical College working towards a degree in business media marketing. She hopes to use what she learns in her business classes to help grow her business into a success.

Making Kitty Kat Candles come to life has been a dream come true for her.

“I think the moment I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment was when I saw my very first batch of candles, packaged and labeled and sitting in a box … To be honest, I cried a little. It was amazing to see all that hard work and planning sitting there in front of me,” Bryant said.

Right noCozy Comfort candles and Warm Apple Pie wax melts are her most popular items. She just started a Valentine’s Day sale on rose, lavender and several new floral-scented products for customers looking for a unique, handmade gift for their sweethearts.

Kimberly has many kitties that have been her inspiration behind the design of her company. Pictured here is two of those cats: Kaia, one of her diluted calico cats, posing with a summer seasonal candle "Strawberry Mimosa," and Rory, Kaia's son, posing with another summer seasonal candle "Sunny Deep Sea."
Kimberly has many kitties that have been her inspiration behind the design of her company. Pictured here is two of those cats: Kaia, one of her diluted calico cats, posing with a summer seasonal candle "Strawberry Mimosa," and Rory, Kaia's son, posing with another summer seasonal candle "Sunny Deep Sea."

Her customers love these products as much as Kimberly loves to make them.

“I ordered a candle first … it smelled great even before it was lit! Then I ordered wax melts. The paw shape is so cute! I recommend these products,” said Sherry Bryant.

“Kitty Kat Candles has some amazing scents. Their customer service is some of the best I've ever experienced! I ordered candles and wax melts for Christmas gifts. I will definitely be ordering from them again!” said Sarah Gonzalez.

The wax melt making process is very similar to the candle making process with one major difference; the use of molds instead of mason jars. Pictured here is a set of wax melts having been just poured into the mold that creates paw print shaped melts; a fitting shape for a company designed around the love of kitty cats.
The wax melt making process is very similar to the candle making process with one major difference; the use of molds instead of mason jars. Pictured here is a set of wax melts having been just poured into the mold that creates paw print shaped melts; a fitting shape for a company designed around the love of kitty cats.

This 28-year-old has overcome many challenges in her life, including being adopted at 12, homeless off and on in her adult life, and coping with lupus and Meniere’s disease. Even with the challenges along the way, Kimberly Bryant has pushed through to stabilize her life and become a proud business owner. She also is taking classes at Marion Technical College. She is working towards an associate’s in business management specializing in media marketing. She plans to use what she learns to grow her business.

When moving to Marion, Kimberly experienced a culture shock.

“Compared to growing up in Collinsville, Texas, Marion is huge! My high school was 200 students and two hallways; one for junior high and one for high school. That’s it — that was the entire school,” Kimberly Bryant recalled. “Then I moved to Marion and the school is two stories!”

While Marion has felt big after growing up in her small Texas town, she still finds a strong sense of community here like she did back home.

“Marion has that small-town charm. Everyone seems to know everyone, either directly or indirectly, and the community tries to be kind to one another,” she said.

Kimberly is excited about her future as part of Marion’s growing small business community.

“The local business climate has been welcoming.” Kimberly Bryant said. “There are a lot of great things happening right now, too. Downtown is picking up, the mall is starting to come back together, and so much more. I hope my business can be a part of these positive changes that Marion has been seeing.”

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion home to new Kitty Kat Candles business