When we set out to make our first custom HudCo scent and candle, we turned to Shynae Davis of Honey Notes, who has participated in many a market here at the space. She’s lifted us up since the pandemic with her affirmation decks, then began appealing to our sense of smell with her wick-crackling manifestation candles. These days she also hosts private parties in the Honey Notes Affirmation & Candle Bar in Pelham, where you and your friends (or even your kids and their friends!) can create their custom fragrance or personalized affirmation cards.
Her Candle Bar inspired us to take our own journey with Shynae to develop the our own candle—we landed on a blend of tobacco, palo santo, and citrus. (Our candles will be available for purchase later this month.) We wanted to know Shynae’s journey to the launch of this inspired and experiential business, so we asked her a few questions to learn more.
—
I’d like to start off with a quick background of how ‘Honey Notes’ came to be and how it evolved to where it is today. Could you tell us the story?
Honey Notes was created in 2020, when I intertwined my passion for writing with my social media followings’ need for uplifting words. During the midst of the pandemic, I became more intentional about creating inspirational and motivational messages. I started sharing my thoughts on Instagram using the app Social Note. I’d use black text and a pink background to display my words. Each quote started with ‘Honey’ to create a sense of sisterhood and connection. I mocked the first deck after my social media posts (pink and black) and called them Honey Notes.
The support since creating Honey Notes has been overwhelming. We have been featured in magazines like British Vogue and Serendipity, showcased at Arts Westchester, and sold in various stores.
The candles came almost two years after I created my first affirmation deck. In 2022, I stopped outsourcing candles and starting creating my own, pouring my own passion and care into each candle made. There was a need for me to create candles from scratch and curate a story of love, time, and attention through the vessels, wax, scents, and aesthetics.
Each candle has a purpose that aides with aromatherapy, intentional living, and mindfulness. I started selling candles at holiday markets, popups, and fairs around Westchester. Now, I host candle making workshops, create candles for other businesses, have three affirmation decks, seven signature candles, a line of poetry inscribed products, and opened a candle studio. The company is centered around my love for writing, intentional living, and mental well-being.
What Drives You
Where do you draw inspiration from in your creative process?
My biggest inspiration in my creative process is life. Writing and creating is a byproduct of me coping with the ups and downs life throws at me. My inspiration to keep creating and working even in difficult times is seeing how much people enjoy and utilize my products.
Are there any aromatherapy practices you feel particularly passionate about?
I put eucalyptus in my shower to reduce stress and anxiety. I use a salt lamp to improve sleep. I use tea tree oil on my face to reduce acne and pimples. I use peppermint oil around my home as a natural deterrent for ants and other insects. I bathe my children in a lavender and vanilla scented body wash at night to aide with sleeping. I always have one of my candle burning the crackling wick along with the aroma is soothing and peaceful.
Have you ever had a particularly memorable or surprising reaction from a customer?
My first book titled Butterflies & Teary Eyes connected with a lot of people. I had a lot of my readers tell me they cried while reading the book. That was the most memorable reaction I’ve received from any of the products I created. Just to know my words impacted them was surreal to me.
Photo by Loredana Nicole
Running the Business
Can you discuss any sustainable practices or eco-friendly options you incorporate into your business?
We use eco-friendly sustainable paper for our affirmation cards, toxin-free and clean burning wax for our candles, and all our fragrances are phthalate-free. Our vessels can be refilled after they are done. We also encourage are customers to repurpose their empty vessels as planter, pencil jars, jewelry holders, etc.
What’s the most challenging part of your business, and how do you overcome it?
The most challenging part of my business is being the writer, chandler, social media manager, marketing director, packer, shipper, accountant, creative director-in short being a one woman show. It gets overwhelming at times wearing so many hats within the business.
Photo by Loredana Nicole
How do you personalize or tailor your candles and blends for special occasions or clients?
I tailor my products to each client by finding out which scents they like, what type of scent they want to create, and what their expectations are. Scent is arguably the strongest sense and is closely linked to memory, controls emotion, and provokes nostalgia. Therefore, I try to capture to best of my ability what the client wants and remove my affinity or aversion for particular scents.
If you could identify the biggest learning lesson you’ve discovered, whether it be specific to your line of work or just generally in life what would it be?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that hard work always pays off even if the reward is experience.
—
HudCo members receive 20% off Honey Notes products, check the HudCo app under ‘Perks’ for more information.