Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Carnley.
Jake, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story begins where many great ones do, with love. I was a 21 years old broke college student and thought id treat my partner to a gift for no reason so I walked into a boutique in downtown Auburn and picked out a $40 candle that I thought would get me some serious points. I checked my account in the store (cmon haven’t we all done that?) and walked back to my house after purchasing the candle leaving about $10 in my account. She didn’t like the candle and the more I smelled it neither did I. This got me thinking and I figured that I at the very least could create a candle that I liked and that didn’t cost me $40. The idea stuck with me but I never acted on it until I got fired from my deli manager position at Big Blue Bagel for biking to work at 6 in the morning without my key to open up leading me to open the restaurant 30 minutes late and being the thing that led to my termination. After that, I spent $800 from my summer job as a camp counselor on candle making equipment and the rest is candle history. This was in 2013 and in December, we will celebrate seven years in business!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Yes and no. There are aspects of running the business that came quite natural to me like the actual producing of the product and most other creative aspects of running a brand. The supply chain side has been difficult and as the maker movement caught hold and the market became flooded with candle brands, we had to work very hard to set ourselves apart creatively while also creating a product that was palletable enough to sell in stores around the country. It has been tough to separate myself from the brand as I’ve changed and grown so much from age 23 – 30. That is a challenge I was not expecting because I sincerely do want the brand to represent me and look like me but also know that it cant totally change every time that I do… A tough thing to balance indeed!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Great Bear Wax Co. – Bungalow Bungalow – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Great Bear Wax Co. became known as one of the first candle brands that attracted a masculine audience. I am an avid outdoorsmen so it was natural for me to create fragrances that represented the outdoors. I do not however enjoy the phrase “man candles” so we have worked hard to try and expand beyond that label.
I specialize in fragrance. I truly believe our fragrances are the best around. I still blend each and every fragrance that we produce because I know exactly how I want the fragrance to smell and feel.
We recently opened a new brand/concept called Bungalow Bungalow that specializes in bulk and refilled eco-friendly home goods. Environmentalism matters to me and the plastic crisis is only getting more and more daunting so we opened up a shop that spares landfills 1000s of plastic bottles of things like laundry detergent, all-purpose cleaner, glass and mirror cleaner, liquid soap, shampoo, and more!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I really want to dig into Bungalow Bungalow. I pray we can create a community of southern people who do not see environmentalism as a political endeavor but as a stewardship lifestyle!
In regards to candle making, we will continue releasing world-class fragrances. We have a handful of collabs that we are launching this fall with amazing southern artists and a podcast called “Jake Carnley makes scents of it all” (or something like that we are still locking down the official name) where I have conversations with inspiring people from around the south and create a candle based on the conversation. I am very inspired these days and very excited about the future of GBWC and Bungalow Bungalow!
Pricing:
- 4 oz candle – $14
- 6 oz candle – $19
- 11 oz candle – $34
- All refill goods are sold at a per oz price that ranges from $0.05 – $2.00ish
Contact Info:
- Address: 5529 1st Ave S
Birmingham Ala. 35212 - Website: burnbear.com – bungalowbungalow.com
- Phone: 2516042972
- Email: jake@burnbear.com
- Instagram: @greatbearwaxco @bungalowbungalow
- Facebook: /greatbearwaxcompany
Image Credit:
Jake Carnley, Kyle Carpenter
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