Rising Stars: Meet Jessica Yehle Rix of Dearborn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Yehle Rix

Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a Minnesota girl at heart, born and raised in a suburb of St. Paul. I met my future (ex)husband when I was in college. He was from Kansas City and when we left school we relocated here. I have called Kansas City home for 21 years. 19 years ago I had my first child, River. He has the biggest smile, best hair, hilarious sense of humor and his giggle is infectious! He also has severe disabilities. He requires full care in all activities. I didn’t just caregive at home, my career was in healthcare. In 2020 I was happily settled in my job at KU working in the OR. I loved my career and never envisioned my life changing directions.

Several years ago I started making wax melts for my home. With my son’s health, I am always acutely aware of what I am exposing my family to and wanted to find a way to enjoy candles and wax melts without the chemicals. In time we started making melts for others and eventually started a hobby business. With my younger two kids at my side, we started creating more products and began testing the waters with vendor events. The intention was for Icarus Designs to remain a hobby, something I could do with my kids for fun. When Covid hit, everyone’s world turned upside down. What most people don’t realize it never fully turned right side up again for families with severely disabled kids. With school staffing shortages and with taking extra caution for his health, my son wasn’t able to return to school. I made it 10 months of caring for him fulltime and juggling long hours at the hospital. Eventually I made the hard decision to leave KU when it became evident my son would not be able to return to school and would remain homebound. Icarus Designs became what sustained us. But it became more than our income, it grew into something that gave me a purpose and allowed me to redefine what I thought success was. It created an opportunity for me to care for my son full-time, at home, while still providing for my family. People often ask why we chose the name Icarus Designs. Most people know the story of Icarus and his wings made of wax (we are a wax company after all). They know how he flew too close to the sun but often miss the other part, where he was cautioned to not fly too low. It truly is a story of keeping balance in life and that kind of sums up what we have done with Icarus. We found a way to keep balance.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Does anyone ever really have a smooth road? Life is full of bumps, starting a business is no different. There have been a lot of growing pains, from finding what products we want to provide without stretching ourselves too thin, to choosing the best way to market and sell them. As with most businesses these days, the rising cost of supplies has been a struggle. We aim to keep our products accessible to everyone by keeping the costs reasonable, so when inflation soared these past two years we had to choose between raising prices and losing profit. We ultimately chose to split the difference with the customer, I have a family to feed but I realize everyone else does too.

Ultimately the biggest hurdle I have faced has been me. Believing in yourself is hard and it’s not made easier by wagering your whole life on it. This year we have worked harder than ever, we became a regular vendor at City Market, I have employed my 16 year old son, Jude, and we were able to see growth. I ended the year thinking maybe, just maybe we can do this.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Icarus Designs specializes in hand poured soy candles and wax melts. We also offer a growing lime of home and bath products. What sets us apart is both the embellishments on our candles and their intense fragrances. We have slowly become known for our unique succulent car air fresheners. It’s a little plant for your car that you get to water with fragrance oil. It’s unique, it’s an air freshener, it’s a plant! What more could you want.

If I had to choose one aspect of my business I’m most proud of, I would say it’s my kids. They are my biggest fans, my motivation to keep going and some of the best co-workers you could ever have. Between their creativity and their drive to try new things, we have pushed beyond candles and wax melts. This truly is a business built from love.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
As with so many small businesses, the idea of collaboration is exciting. We have been fortunate to work with a local CSE (Community Supported Entrepreneurs) in St Joe, MO, collab with a local woman-owned company that provides curated gift boxes, and be a part of different boutiques and stores. We are always open to new opportunities to work with other small businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.icarusdesignsco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icarusdesignsco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icarusdesignsco/