Rising Stars: Meet Arlean Thompson of Creston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arlean Thompson.

Hi Arlean, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’d always wanted to make my own candles but never took the step to get started and my partner decided to get me a DIY kit for our anniversary! I quickly learned and fell in love with the process. Then I decided it would be cute to make candles in tea cups. I thrifted a bunch of tea sets and experimented with scents until I narrowed it down to a few good ones (for the spring/summer season). I eventually had a good stock and decided to start my own company. My partner and I brainstormed on names and finally came to Fat Cat Collective, a tribute to our very fat cat Clancy. I used Canva for our logo and business cards, it makes it so easy to bring your vision to life. I started marketing and networking on social media and got a lot of support from friends and family to follow me and share my posts. Finally I decided it was time to get my product out there. Our first market was at Two Guys Brewing for their spring Brews and Bazaar and it was a blast. We sold out of tea cup candles and that gave me a lot of confidence and some feedback on scents and my different candle products. So here we are, less than a week after the market and I’m working on restocking and gathering more tea cups.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Most of the struggles I have faced is selling online, I don’t currently have a website so once I have that I feel it will no longer be a struggle. Sometimes the candles don’t set right and I have to fix that. Early on I realized I wasn’t putting enough fragrance oil in the mix, but that was an easy fix. Other than that the road has been easy riding.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I make candles in repurposed tea cups. I’d say we’re most known for our tea cup candles, which sets us apart from a lot of candle companies who use mass produced candle vessels that all look the same. We also offer massage oil candles made to order, which are becoming increasingly popular, but I put them in vessels that have a pouring spout/lip which makes it much easier to not get the product all over.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Just to follow your dreams, take the big step!

Pricing:

• 4 oz Tea Cup Candles are $8
• Massage oil candles depend on the size of the vessel
• Tower Candles $6
• Mini Candle B*mb $5
• Big Candle B*mb $8

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @fatcatcollective
• Facebook: Fat Cat Collective