Meet Corinne from Thistle + Sage Botanics
Meet Corinne Holt, owner of Thistle + Sage Botanics at The LAB. We sat down with Corinne to hear about the inspiration for her business, her ethical business practices, and her insight on starting her own business. We welcome you to come see what all the hype is about at Thistle + Sage Botanics Tuesday - Saturday from 12pm - 8pm and Sundays 12pm - 6pm!
www.thistleandsagebotanics.com | @thistleandsagebotanics
Q. What inspired you to start your own business?
A. I grew up with a very hard working mom who immigrated to America from the Philippines as a young girl. Growing up I watched her work six days a week for someone else before starting her own company and building it up to new levels of success year after year. After ten years of working for her and learning all her secrets, I felt it was time to fly the coop as they say and start something of my own that I could be proud of and enjoy everyday.
Q. Where did your candle making skills come from?
A. I made my first batch of candles when I was 22 and found some antique tea cups that inspired me to turn them into candles. I gifted them out for Christmas and they were a big hit.
Q. Can you elaborate on what clean burning means?
A. So there are many types of candle waxes, paraffin being the cheapest and most widely used. The problem with paraffin is that it’s made from petroleum so not only does it further the drilling of oil and the oil industry, when it burns its putting all sorts of dirty chemicals into the air. Soy wax is made from soy beans which is sustainable, natural, nontoxic and most importantly doesn’t put chemicals into the air when you burn it.
Q. Tell us more about you! Can you walk us through a typical day in the life?
A. I started Thistle + Sage Botanics last February and had a little Etsy shop, after about six months I started farmers markets here in Orange County and was doing four a week before I opened the store. I helped my little sister start her Etsy and got her into some farmers markets and now I focus on new ways I can help other aspiring female makers to do the same.
Q. Any advice for others who are looking to follow in your footsteps?
A. My biggest piece of advice is to just start doing whatever it is you dream of doing. Don’t hold yourself back with fear of failure or whatever it is that stops you from pursuing your dreams, just start doing it and don’t worry about problems that don’t exist yet—chances are they won’t happen and you’ll have spent all that time worrying for nothing.
Q. What's a dream collaboration for you?
A. It would be really exciting to work with a woman with humanitarian goals who would like to endorse or support my Femme Line.
Q. What changes do you hope to see for our environment in 2020?
A. I’d love to see products and consumers going toward more natural options, products with ten or less ingredients made with nontoxic and plastic free materials would be huge.
Q. What inspires you?
A. I love waking up and working my butt off and knowing its for myself and my dream. Being my own boss is the best ever and is very motivating ;)
Q. Do you have any items you’re especially proud of creating?
A. I really love my Femme Collection. The collection was a way for me to directly make change by donating to a charity that focuses on laws as they pertain to women’s issues of today.
Q. How did you hear about The LAB?
A. I’m an OC native so I’ve been frequenting The LAB since I was a teen.
Q. How did you get involved with National Women’s Law Center?
A. When I made my Femme Collection I was looking for the right charity to tie it to. I found so many charities I wanted to donate to but I felt the NWLC was really in line with the message I wanted the Femme Collection to be about. Which is making real change for women of today and tomorrow.
