The Chandlerie Is Going Brick & Mortar

 The Chandlerie is adding a brick and mortar location to its online shop!

In my wildest dreams I am opening my own shop - a candle studio full of the candles I have hand-poured along with other home items. A cozy little place that people can pop in and out of or sit down for a make-your-own-candle workshop. For the last 6+ years, as I have perfected my candle-making craft, this has been the dream behind it all. I truly didn't think it would happen anytime soon. But here I am sharing the surreal news that The Chandlerie is adding a brick and mortar location to its online shop. And every single inch of the shop will be a piece of me, from the design and aesthetic to the candle selection and workshop style. It is quite literally a dream come true.

There is SO much to share about this new venture, and it's hard to even know where to begin. But here's my best shot at telling you how this dream started falling into place. And because I want to remember it myself, I'm giving you all the details...

At the beginning of the year, in early February (the 4th to be exact), I decided to reach out to a friend to see if her husband handled commercial real estate. While it wasn't in his wheelhouse, he was more than willing to help me and also better learn the commercial side of things with the support of his broker. We started with a sit down meeting (on Feb. 9th) for the three of us to discuss what it was I was interested in. Figuring I wouldn't be making any moves in the near future, the two agents knew that my goal was to start equipping myself with the knowledge of what was out there and how to go about making it happen. It would allow me to see numbers and availabilities to really guide me toward what was doable. The key to all of this? The mutual respect. I left that meeting feeling heard and encouraged. I might not be purchasing a property any time soon, but I had my foot in the door and I was ready to move.  

After the initial meeting, an online portal was set up to send properties for me to review. Within just a couple of weeks, a property came through the portal. I was specifically asked to give the pros and cons on it to help guide the kinds of properties put before me. 

So with every honest thought, I constructed an email with my opinion on the place. There were far more cons than pros, and ultimately I said it just wasn't a good fit. But that little property became an itch I couldn't scratch, so I asked if I could go see it (Feb. 17th). I figured seeing it in person would really give me an answer. 

As soon as I walked in (Feb. 19th) , I started to visualize what it could be. The walls down, the ceiling exposed, the windows enlarged, and the carpet ripped out. The second floor apartment was the same - I could see its potential and I was intrigued. So I went home, talked to Pete and let him know I thought this might be just what I was looking for. It needed a lot of love and demo, but it could be just the jumping off point I needed. 

The very next day (Feb. 20th), Pete visited the property with me. I ran him through my vision, and he was completely on board - not just as my cheerleader, but as my handyman too ;) We put in an offer at the start of the week, and by February 24th I had a counter to my offer. We sent in our counter, and on February 25th my offer was accepted! 

While this seems like the easiest process, and in large part it was fairly seamless, there was a lot of behind the scenes on my part to put the financing together. There were bank meetings and phone calls and emails. And while it was a lot of work, it was 100% guided by God. I can fully attest to His hand in it all. Because after previous attempts to do this very thing where every door closed, this time every door was open. It was green light, after green light, which felt like God's way of telling me to "GO!" To boldly run full speed ahead because it was my time. He put the exact people in my way to not only accomplish this endeavor, but to bolster me with support. And He has sprinkled the path with nuggets and reminders of His will in this adventure, especially when I started to doubt myself. It's been very humbling and amazing to walk through this entire thing with God so clearly leading the way. 

So, to catch back up - we put in an offer, countered twice, accepted, then waited for closing. Two months and some change later, on April 29th, we closed on our property. And the first thing I did was to start knocking down walls and pulling up carpet. Ever since, Pete and I have taken every chance or little amount of extra time to slip over to the property to get work done. It's taking a lot or effort and scheduling to make it happen, but it's 1000x worth it. With every bit of progress made, I can see the end result getting closer, and it's the motivation I need to keep putting in the extra hours. 

I cannot wait to open the shop door and welcome everyone in! It's going to be the coziest most joyful little space, where I hope my love for home and traditions can pour out like a springtime rain and envelop those that pop in. This is just the starting point, there's so much more to come!