Creative Community Issue #7: Q&A with Chi Junky's Rachelle Wintzen
To celebrate the launch of our latest collaboration, we chatted with Rachelle Wintzen, founder of Chi Junky about supporting fellow entrepreneurs, her candle rituals, and turning 40.
LOHN: Tell us about this collaboration!
RACHELLE WINTZEN: Kat has always been such a big supporter of Chi Junky since the early days, I remember when she first mentioned her idea to start LOHN, we were both young entrepreneurs with big dreams. I am the biggest supporter of women who choose to become entrepreneurs and small business owners, it is not an easy path but seeing your business grow and people being genuinely excited about what you have to offer is the fuel to keep going when it gets really hard and is so incredibly rewarding! So naturally we had to join forces and create a fabulous candle together to celebrate both our businesses. Chi Junky will be turning 10 next month and co-creating this candle has been a dream of mine for a long time, something we always talked about and now it is here! It is the perfect holiday gift for yourself or someone else while supporting two women owned small businesses. I am so excited for everyone to experience this beautiful candle. I hope it creates a lot of cozy fragrant joy for your home.
LOHN: If you had to describe the scent in 3 words, what would you say?
RW: Scent is so subjective, so we spent a lot of time curating a fragrance that would be wildly loved. We landed on a blend of Coconut and verbena creating a warm scent with creamy coconut and floral notes. It is also nostalgic to have Coconut be part of the candle as that was my dog's name, she was the studio dog for years and so loved by the Chi community until she passed. The candle and scent feel like an homage to her and the last 10 years of Chi.
LOHN: What wellness rituals will you be pairing with the Chi Junky x LOHN candle?
RW: I LOVE a good candle in my home and I truly believe that your home should be beautiful and a place that makes you feel at peace. That is also the design philosophy I infuse in the Chi aesthetic. I personally love lighting a candle as part of my meditation ritual, when I feel really overwhelmed, I stare at the flame which helps to create focus and calm. It is a trick a wonderful therapist taught me to ground and center me.
I also love lighting a candle and having it on my desk while I work, it creates calm and coziness for those long computer days. l also love having a lit candle for just about anything at home, in the kitchen, reading with tea, taking a bath and of course while I am practicing on my mat.
LOHN: One way you're finding time for yourself this holiday season?
RW: Being an entrepreneur and small business owner with a business that stays open 365 days a year leaves very little time for myself. But this season I plan on carving out a few days through the holidays to pause and have some quiet alone time at my house in the woods. My home is my favorite place to be other than Chi of course. This is also a big milestone year for me as I will be turning 40 this month and celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Chi next month, so I am really looking forward to being at home and taking time to slow down, reflect and quietly celebrating the last 10 while resting to gear up for the next 10!
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You can shop the Chi Junky candle at their East end studio and discover other vendors at the Winter Solstice Market on December 21st from 12-8:30 PM.
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