Why Teaching Will Always Be Part of What We Make

People often ask how Turn2Candles started.

The short answer is candles.
The real answer is teaching.

Before we ever poured wax into a jar or cut an upcycled bottle, my wife and I spent our days in a classroom — working with students who didn’t always thrive in traditional school settings. These were students who needed hands-on work, real responsibility, and the chance to see something tangible come from their effort.

So we built a program around entrepreneurship.

Not theory. Not worksheets.
Real products. Real decisions. Real consequences.

At Central Davie Academy, students weren’t just learning about business — they were running one. They researched materials, tested fragrances, learned production safety, calculated costs, made mistakes, fixed them, and watched confidence grow along the way.

That work was later highlighted in an article by EducationNC, not as an award or a spotlight, but as an example of what happens when students are trusted with meaningful work.

We didn’t set out to be featured anywhere.
We were focused on helping students succeed.

And that mindset never left us.

How That Classroom Shaped Turn2Candles

When we started Turn2Candles, we didn’t think of leaving teaching behind. It felt more like continuing it — just in a different form.

The same values carried over:

Take your time
Do it the right way
Learn from mistakes
Respect the process
Make something you’re proud to put your name on

Hand-poured candles aren’t fast. Upcycling bottles isn’t convenient. Teaching students patience and craftsmanship isn’t easy either.

But the reward is the same: something meaningful at the end.

Why This Matters to Our Customers

We don’t believe people buy from small businesses just because of a product.

They buy because of:

care
intention
consistency
trust

When you light one of our candles or bring us a bottle through Wick + Pour, you’re not just buying wax and fragrance. You’re supporting a way of working that values people, learning, and purpose.

The same way we approached teaching is the way we approach every candle we make.

Carrying the Mission Forward

We’re proud of the students we've taught.
We’re proud of the work they did.
And we’re proud that those experiences continue to shape what we create today.

If you’d like to read the original article that captured that classroom journey, you can find it here:

👉 Empowering Student Entrepreneurs at Central Davie Academy
(EducationNC)

Thank you for supporting a small business built on patience, craftsmanship, and the belief that people grow when they’re given the chance to succeed.