Eleventh Candle Company Moves to Old Worthington
Amber Runyon and Eleventh Candle Co. are no strangers to Worthington. The company started on Columbus’ east side before moving to The Madery in COhatch’s Library and adding a kiosk inside Polaris Fashion Place.
Just recently they consolidated their operations into a new location on High Street in Old Worthington! We chatted with Runyon about the company, its mission, and what it offers at the new storefront.
Nick Can you give me a brief background on Eleventh Candle Co. and its mission?
Amber: I was a nurse and traveled overseas doing medical work, and one time in Ethiopia I saw two girls who were blindfolded and being led through the streets. I asked where they were going, and they said the girls were going to be sold.
Back home, I learned that Ohio at the time was fourth in the U.S. for human trafficking. And one of the areas that was lacking, in terms of fighting human trafficking, was employment opportunities. I Googled what was the cheapest company to start and it was a candle company.
Nick: What prompted the move to the new storefront?
Amber: Initially we were on the east side, on Courtright and Livingston. We moved into the Madery and in Polaris at the same. We had to shut down Polaris when COVID hit, and moved out of The Madery to move everything into one stop – retail and manufacturing.
Nick: What does the new location allow you to do?
Amber: What it will do that we’ve never done as a company is help customers understand what human trafficking is, in an easier way for them to digest it. It opens people to seeing victims of human trafficking, abuse, and addition are regular employees they can interact with.
Nick: Customers can still pour their own candles there, right?
Amber: Yes. A lot of times when they walk in and are smelling the different candles, saying “I like this scent, I like that scent,” we introduce them to creating their own custom scent.
Nick: What are some of your top-selling fragrances?
Amber: Honey & Fig. It always has been, for five years straight. Our seasonals take a frontrunner spot, too. Spring seasonals are Cut Flowers and Lemongrass Coridander. Both are very floral. The Lemongrass smells like you just cleaned your kitchen. Very refreshing and vibrant. Cut Flowers literally smells like a bouquet of flowers.
Nick: Anything else you think customers should know?
Amber: We’re going to have more home goods from other local companies that have missions like us or are women-owned. Mission Market Co. donates proceeds to different organizations. Growler Bones are made by people with disabilities. Instead of only just candles, we’ll see what the people of Worthington want!
Find Eleventh Candle Co.’s new storefront at 559 High Street in Old Worthington.