Candle craze: how Drip Studios is lighting up New West and beyond

How do you go from working 9 to 5 in finance to a part-time gig in candles?

For Quayside resident Kathleen Estanislao, it was a bit of an accident—she happened to find her passion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And while she’s still working part-time in the finance industry, she’s been getting busier and busier shipping out candles through Drip Studios.

Combining simple, cheeky names with bright, recognizable scents, hand-poured soy candles like ‘Sunday Morning’ (notes of teakwood, lavender, and musk) and ‘Good Company’ (layers of sandalwood, amber, suede, and leather) have been pretty popular—they’re among her bestsellers.

“Everyone was having COVID business babies, right? Everyone was starting something during the pandemic … and it was Christmas time, and you’re in your home and you can’t leave. At this point, I wanted to do something a little bit more thoughtful for … my sister. She loves candles.”

That’s when Estanislao decided to try and make one for her sister. After a little bit of research—and combining her love of marketing and graphic design—she was able to come up with a candle that exceeded her expectations.

So, she tried making another one.

“That second scent, I wanted it to inspire me of where I grew up, so it’s called Lush—it’s all about the outdoors,” she notes, adding that she grew up in Port Coquitlam—the candle includes notes of pine, evergreen, and sweet orange.

Continuously inspired by her surroundings, she decided to take the candles to Instagram; since then, they’ve been seen ‘in real life’ at Doughnut Love in Coquitlam, and at The Glass House at The Amazing Brentwood in Burnaby.

In New West, the candles have been spotted on Moodswing’s (formerly Old Crow Coffee Co.) shelves—and it was actually the first place Estanislao saw them go up for purchase.

“I remember going there one time when I was starting Drip, I went in there and asked, ‘hey, you have a little merch section, how do you get in there?’ And that was the first time I was ever selling something in store, bringing my candles there where I could see them. It made me feel great to support them and be part of their program.”

Estanislao says the program was called, “In Case You Missed It,” (ICYMI) with a percentage of sales going back into the community. ICYMI’s goal was to elevate and support BIPOC producers and community partners.

While she’s still working in finance, Estanislao has high hopes for Drip.

“Why not have something that encompasses you in a jar where you can sell this in your own store? I can continue to provide that, but then I could also have my line of scents inspired by the community.”

And while she adds that there are a lot of candle makers out there these days, she’s been grateful to have the support of the local Metro Vancouver community.

“Build your own community around you with the community that you’re in. That was really, I think, hard for people during COVID-19 … when you meet new people around you, they inspire you, and doors open for you. You’re also able to give back,” she says, adding that being able to give back to others has been one of the most fulfilling parts of starting Drip.

Her next step is to put together a website for Drip, but in the meantime, if you’d like to check out her candles—or purchase some—visit her Instagram page for more details.