Where we started.

In 2019, we started working with young men from a transitional home based in Woodinville, Washington, a suburb just outside of Seattle. We quickly developed a passion for supporting these young men during our time together. Like many passions, it came out of nowhere and was rooted in a need I saw in a younger version of myself. They were just kids and, like all kids, needed the support and belief of the adults around them. So we had guys come in every week to do...whatever needed doing. Cleaning, side projects, organizing. It didn't really matter. What mattered was getting the time to invest in them.

Pandemic. In a matter of days, we had nothing to do. No events, no business, no money. And so...candles. 

When we began, we did so with a really basic purpose — pandemic or not; we simply weren't willing to end our partnership with the young people we work with. It wasn't something we were willing to scale back to save money. So we did what you do when resources are limited — we got more resourceful. We had no idea what we were doing. We'd never made a candle, ordered materials, or knew what kind of wax to use or where to get it. Our first candles were...rough. Our first labels were...extra rough, lol. Where do you even get nice-looking labels? We launched with two options, scented or unscented. Then we shared it with our community and they showed up.

In case you're new here, we were formally known as Cathedral Candles. The start of 2023 marks our rebrand to Spir Candle Co. Pronounced like inspire, Spir means "to breathe" in Latin — which is precisely what we hope to help the underrepresented youth we employ to do so more easily. 

We now ship all across the county. We have wholesale accounts in over half the nation (26 states, two provinces, and 51 cities).

We've sold thousands of candles, doubling our output each year. We've added sizes and scents. Partnered on collaborations and private-label candles for party favors, corporate gifts, wedding gifts. All metrics that matter to us. But the metric that matters most is the time we've been able to invest. Your support has already provided nearly 3000 hours of employment, nearly 200,000 minutes — our goal is to triple that in 2023. Like the young men we work with, we have dreams of who we want to become. We're on our way. You've helped us get this far, and it's because of you that we will keep moving forward.