Meet Queen Kais | Owner & Maker

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

Hi Queen, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Honestly, I didn’t set out to start my own business when I first started looking into making my own candles. Like everyone else, the pandemic left me with a lot of time on my hands, and scrolling through TikTok brought me to the world of candle-making, hooking me instantly. I watched tons of videos, read all the articles, joined Facebook groups, and even ventured into online forums as I researched as much as possible. After all my research, I finally bought a candle-making kit to see if I could apply what I had learned and after a lot of trial and error followed by successes, I decided that this was something that I wanted to pursue as a small business.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I named my business Charlotte Drive after the street that I grew up on and was inspired by my fondest childhood memories. I combined that feeling with my love of candles to create my brand. My goal is for every person to find a scent (or two or three!) that puts a smile on their face as they look back on their own memories.

Getting to where I am today has not been easy. I have always loved candles and I enjoy making things myself so the decision to start candle-making as a hobby was very easy. However, turning your hobby into a business is very challenging, despite your love for the craft. “Testing” is my most used word since starting my business and I have a love-hate relationship with it. Every new wax type, every new fragrance, and every new container needs to be tested, tested, and re-tested until you are sure that you have created the safest and best quality product that you can. Despite the challenges it brings, I am excited to wake up every day and create new products to bring to my amazing customers. I started Charlotte Drive in October 2022 and there is still so much more to come in the future.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m such a homebody it is hard to say what my favorite spots in the city are! I will say that on the rare occasions that I do go out, it’s usually someone else who has picked out our spot. Having said that, there are still some places that I love and feel are a must when visiting Arizona. The Princess in Scottsdale is definitely a classic and a must-see, especially during the holiday season. I also recently went to this amazing restaurant in Scottsdale called Bandolero Cocina de Mexico. It’s gorgeous, has delicious food, and they have live Cuban music playing all night. Basically, Scottsdale is probably the best place to hang out if you’re coming to Arizona.

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?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my family and close friends. They constantly support me in my small business by helping get the word out, and encouraging me when I feel the stress of owning a small business. My parents don’t even complain too much about my supplies being in places they shouldn’t be outside of my small designated “studio” area. My circle of supporters is so wonderful and I don’t think I would have been brave enough to give this small business stuff a shot if it wasn’t for them pushing me to just jump in.

Website: http://charlottedrive.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlottedriveco/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlottedriveco

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charlottedriveco Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CharlotteDriveCo