Trish Baden loves candles. She founded Flores Lane in 2014, and her vision and leadership have transformed the company into a successful, eco-friendly business. Though she’s now based in LA, she’s never forgotten her Cincinnati roots; she recently released a line of candles based on neighborhoods in the city.
What inspired you to start making candles?
I LOVE candles. I burn them often and when I moved to LA, the cost of maintaining my habit was expensive. I didn’t know anyone and I was hoping to meet people in a candle class.
Flores Lane was born quite literally from demand: I was sending candles to friends and family as gifts, and people wanted to gift them to others. There’s a local flea market in West Hollywood’s high school where I bought a little space, got mason jars and filled them with amazing scents like “granny smith” and “jasmine.” I sold out in hours. I went back the next weekend and sold out again. So I decided to rebrand into something that I loved: travel + wanderlust + celebration of local movements.
What’s special about Flores Lane candles?
Not only are we are a successful, female-founded and run startup, we pride ourselves on transparency of ingredients, as well as being a knowledge base for other women that are DIY-ing. #BossBabe
We use soy wax and essential oils in our candles, which create a candle that is healthy to have in your home and does not hurt the environment. We try to be as eco-friendly as possible, staying away from plastic products and using recycled glass. Our candles are completely customizable, from the candle labels to the scent to the color — we can make anything our customers dream up.
What inspired you to make Cincinnati-themed candles?
Flores Lane’s essence is sharing experiences and vibes of locations within a candle, so it was only natural to create Cincinnati. Scents are a huge part of our memories, and when I am homesick I want to be able to light up a candle and feel like I’m back there again. I think we accomplished that with this line.
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How did you choose the scent combinations for the Cincinnati candle series?
The last time I visited, I walked around some of my favorite parks and spots downtown. I focused on what Cincinnati smelled like to me in its purest form, as well as the natural elements that make the city what it really is. From the ivy-covered homes in Hyde Park to the industrial bare-brick lofts in Over-the-Rhine, I made a few sample candles of scents that reminded me of the city, e.g. a combination of earthy scents like English ivy and bamboo, and city scents like amber and sea salt.
We have created an OTR candle (launching soon) and will continue to collaborate with local retailers on a few more — so definitely stay tuned.
To purchase a candle, visit Flores Lane's website.
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