Meet Chloe Matthews: Chief Chandler & Honey’s Main Human

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chloe Matthews and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chloe, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started making candles for personal use. We are an asthma household and I also love candles. However, I noticed that the candles I bought from the big box stores were either causing us breathing issues, did not smell as lovely as when you picked it up from the store or just flat out will not light up after a few tries. Then Honey, our goldendoodle arrived in our lives. She is my husband’s and my first dog and I know this sounds cheesy, but I did not understand the bond between a pup and their humans, until she came into our lives. We were instantly in love. We decided we need to save more of her out there so we started volunteering and fostering for a local animal rescue. We saw how challenging it was to raise funds for the animals – and then it clicked. I asked my husband three and a half years ago, what if, we sell the candles I am already making and donate a portion of our profit to the animal rescue community. I was skeptical, but then I figured, whatever we did not sell we will end up using at home! And that was how we humbly started. It was always to save more Honeys out there. We believed that saving a pup also means saving a human or two. Through this wonderful journey, we were blessed to find our final family member – our foster failure, Cole. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Starting PinkHoney Candle was a huge undertaking, I did not know what I was doing and I was learning as I go. One thing that I am very proud of doing (and still do) is to recognize that I am not perfect and I was bound to make mistakes. But what separates a successful person is picking yourself off of the floor and learning from all of it. I will never tell you that my candles are the best – best smelling, best anything. What I will tell anyone is that I make the best candle I can humanely possibly make. I continue to do my research, tweak a few things here and there and keep sourcing and finding the best raw materials I can find. That is my promise, I will never put out any product that I am not proud of making or is unsafe in your own home.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh gosh this is a challenge! Our family loves spending time at Topgolf! We also love going to Seoul BBQ and Sushi – I don’t know, but there’s something about cooking over the grill, eating sushi, having a drink and being surrounded by wonderful people.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Not a little, but a huge shoutout to Deanna Zouari, owner of Woods and Whites and an amazing mentor to many. This year has been rough on everyone, especially the local and small makers. Not a lot of people know this but I actually quit a few months ago – but Deanna listened, gave me advice and was my main cheerleader. I seriously do not know if I would have came back if I did not have that phone conversation with her.

Website: www.pinkhoneycandle.com
Instagram: pinkhoneycandle
Twitter: pinkhoneycandle
Facebook: pinkhoneycandle
Other: Pinterest – pinkhoneycandle

Image Credits
Chloe Matthews (self)