Image via Waxery.
Meet the owner and founder of Waxery, a candle-making shop and BYOB in Kensington.
As a North Philadelphia native, it has always been important for Crystal Ortiz to give back and create opportunities for those in the community she’s called home her entire life.
Now a business owner, she is able to do just that.
Ortiz is the founder and owner of Waxery LLC, a candle-making company located in the heart of Kensington, having launched the business back in July 2021.
While Ortiz has been an entrepreneur for years now, she never envisioned she’d one day own a business.
“The way I grew up was like, ‘you need that 9 to 5 in order to get benefits,’” she reflected. “That [was] the way of life.”
Ortiz holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and was working as a federal background investigator while simultaneously running her business.
After balancing both jobs for about two years, she came to a realization.
“I enjoyed running my business more than my career,” she said.
Shortly thereafter, Ortiz made the career decision to leave her investigator job and pour her all into Waxery.
From there, she also had to adjust her thinking toward looking at Waxery as her primary career.
The name is a portmanteau between wax and winery.
“Since it’s a BYOB facility,” she confirmed.
At Waxery, customers can create and customize their own candles in a welcoming, friendly, and inviting space.
Ortiz is very hands-on with every aspect of the business, from booking appointments to teaching customers how to make the candles, a process she noted usually takes between 45 minutes and an hour.
While customers are waiting, they can sit back and relax or have a sip of wine.
She credits the Verizon Digital Small Business Digital Ready program and Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Accelerate Business program, respectively, for helping guide her and expand her understanding of how to successfully run a business.
“I gained a lot of knowledge on different things, on how to run my business through the back end,” she said. “Managing my books and making sure that all my marketing was in place.”
The programs also allowed her to lean on the experiences of other business owners.
For Ortiz, she finds great fulfillment in being able to run an establishment that brings positive vibes to Kensington.
“That’s major for me,” she said. “Getting that feedback on how I give others courage and how they’re very supportive.”
A fun fact about Ortiz is that she never made a single candle prior to opening her business.
The fact that she was able to become a self-taught candle maker and then turn around and help others make their own candles fills her cup and motivates her each and every day.
Learn more about Waxery LLC here.
