hi! my name is tyra dizon-clark, and i am the founder and owner of virago candle studio, a candle business located in st. louis, missouri. i began my venture into candle making as a hobby, when my wife and i lived in dallas. it was so therapeutic for me, and i loved that i could make a tangible product that made my home feel so cozy! when my wife, darline and i were both laid off at the beginning of 2020, we decided to move back to st. louis, and i figured that i could start my business as a side hustle as i went to school.
i picked the name virago candle studio because virago means "a woman who demonstrates exemplary and heroic qualities" and i have tons of super awesome women in my life who have those exemplary and heroic qualities, and i look up to them because they're inspiring, brave, kind and overall just amazing. i launched vcs with etsy on april 18, 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. my first 50 candles i made to sell ended up selling out within TWO DAYS. at this time, i had a plastic foldable table (you know the kind you use for beer pong) and i was melting my wax to make candles using the double boiler method in my kitchen.
i then turned our would be guest room into my candle studio, upgraded to a small melter for my wax, and used a metal shelving unit to store all of my supplies. i poured, labeled, and packaged every single candle out of that tiny room (which then overflowed into the rest of my home) for the next fourteen months, until i was able to turn the one bedroom apartment at the back of my house into a candle studio. since i launched virago candle studio, i've sent packages all over the country and even a couple in canada! if me, last april could see me, now in october 2021 she would be so proud! i've taken something that i love (aka candles) and turned it into a dream job. from the spring and summer collections, to the cozy fall + holiday collections, i absolutely love what i do everyday.
