Rising Stars: Meet Stacy McCowen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy McCowen. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My Hubby was in the army, and each duty station I would sell my products at craft fairs. I would reinvent myself every time we moved! I was 20 years old, in Germany, and had my first craft fair. I had made raffia baskets and sewn stuffed bunnies with cute dresses. That was over 30 years ago! Then onto woodworking, China Painting, tile painting, jigsaw designs, and finally Candle making! I opened a store 12 years ago in historic downtown Leavenworth to sell my hand-poured candles on site and get it out of my basement! It has been an amazing twelve years with lots of lessons learned and much joy! The main highlight was winning Kansas retail biz of the year a couple of years ago! We have since opened an Airbnb above our store, and just recently purchased a couple of buildings in the cute little town of Weston and will be opening a pop-up shop there in September! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Haha. I wouldn’t call it a road at all, but a rollercoaster!! Sometimes you are chugging up a massive hill and can’t see where the hell it will take you! But then before you know it, you are screaming downhill having the time of your life! My poor Hubby… one morning I will be bawling saying I am so sick of the responsibility and by afternoon I am the happiest person on earth and telling him that I take back everything I said that morning!! (Yes, this is a regular thing!!) It is ALWAYS a struggle to keep the boutique relevant and exciting. To do this, I have to come up with new ideas, new events, new products, and be posting on all forms of social media constantly. If you’re not moving, you’re dying!! 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I own a boutique named “Candle Queen Candles” but it is sooooo much more than that. It’s a huge store filled with everything a girl would love… from clothing to sage & crystals, to plants! And of course, candles in a zillion forms… mason jars, wooden dough bowls, apothecary cookie jars! But our shop is so much more than that… it is an atmosphere, an experience, a happy haven! I am most proud of hearing from customers that their daughter, mother, friend, came in and had such a wonderful visit and it is now their favorite place to go! 

What were you like growing up?
I think all my roads led to this!! I was always decorating my bedroom. I collected clothing with rainbows and colorful hair barrettes. (Tons!) I was always making something… my dresser was topped with little items I would design from play-doh and paint over with glue to seal, little wooden ornaments I would cut with a jigsaw, pillows that I would hand sew. So, I look back and I always had to be designing and creating!!! I have always had a desire to create with my hands. But now I can create and let others enjoy my creations! 

Pricing:

• Pop-out Melts $1.00 each
• 6 cubes Melts $5.00 each
• teaser Candle $6.00
• Best Selling Pint Mason jar candle $16.50
• 3-wick Dough Bowl candle $32.00

Contact Info:

• Email: Snapchat: candlequeen1
• Website: Www.CandleQueenCandles.com
• Instagram: Www.Instagram.com/CandleQueenCandles
• Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/CandleQueenCandles
• Tik tok: CandleQueenCandles
• Phone: #913-682-7724