Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Rayner.
Hi Jamie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I always love to say that I’m a news reporter turned into a soap and candle maker. 🙂 I started as a television news reporter chasing crime stories and the latest headline, and now I spend my days handcrafting all-natural soaps and soy candles. My life is entirely different than it was three years ago, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
At the end of 2019, my now husband and I moved back to the USA after living in the Cayman Islands for six years. We lived in NC before living abroad and knew we wanted to make our way back. So, at the beginning of 2020, we moved to Cary, NC, but then just days later, everything shut down, and the pandemic fully set in. After months of trying to find a job in my communication field, it finally began to sink in that we moved back at the worst possible time, and finding a job in my own country was going to be next to impossible. So, I decided to either sit at home and cry about not having a job or create one for myself. And that’s exactly what I did!
Owning my own small business has always been a dream of mine. It’s something I always knew I wanted to do someday – but never thought someday would quickly become today. It’s accurate. If it weren’t for Covid, I would likely still be climbing the corporate ladder. I would have never had the opportunity or the free time to question, “what do I truly want?” I like to say I took the world’s lemons and made lemonade.
I’ve always had sensitive skin and have spent my whole life reading labels and being very cautious about the products I put on my body. I’ve also been a candle addict for as long as I can remember. As I became more informed about the commercial candle business and the toxins I was lighting up, I decided to start small with my apothecary dream. And a soap and candle business was what my soul needed.
After a year of trial and error, I worked hard to perfect both crafts. I wanted to provide naturally made products in a sustainable way that would be kind to the consumer and our planet. My business model was simple: creating natural handcrafted vegan soaps and soy candles using the purest ingredients to invigorate your mind, body, + soul. From crafting my custom scents with pure essential oils to using flowers, herbs, and natural ingredients cultivated in my backyard, all ingredients are provided by Mother Nature. I also worked hard to develop sustainable product packaging and provide eco-friendly options. My handmade crafts are personally packaged, wrapped, and shipped using only recycled and biodegradable materials. No plastic is used! I seal my soaps with an old fashion wax stamp. In September 2020, I became a certified North Carolina small business, and in February 2021, my Etsy page was launched. I was terrified, nervous, and extremely hopeful. I had started my own small business in a city I barely knew, with no connections or a clue on how I would get my name out in the community. I had cashed in every bit of my savings on a dream. And then, I quickly learned that I had started a small biz in the best possible small business-loving area on the map. People of the Triangle will go out of their way to shop small, support their local businesses, and put that money back into the community. And then I realized – I had to meet these people! So, I researched all of the markets, popped up in the area, and applied to every single one I could find. I knew. Eventually, someone would let me in, and I would show them what I had to offer.
Participating in local markets is my favorite thing about my job. I now pop up 3-5 times a week throughout North Carolina and even South Carolina. The people I meet and the friendships I have made and continue to make our heartwarming and empowering. I went from a girl who knew no one to now being part of the most supportive, loving community on the planet. I went all in, and boy, did it pay off. Every day is different, and I’m constantly learning to better my business and myself. I still feel like the new kid on the block, just trying to make a name for myself. I have so much love and hope for this small business, and I can’t wait to watch her grow. I’ve always been the kind of person who will do whatever it takes to see it through once I set my mind to something. I’m a dream chaser who won’t stop until you see “Moonstone Apothecary” in lights on your local Main Street. 🙂 The sky is the limit if you believe.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
If dreams were easy, they wouldn’t be worth chasing. 🙂 It has been far from a smooth road, but every obstacle and the right or wrong decision has strengthened me and my small business. I know I still have a long way to go until I feel like I’ve reached my ultimate goal, but it’s sure been an excellent ride thus far. I started my interest in soap and candle making in December 2019. I spent more than a year educating myself on the overall process and practicing making the crafts to ensure I knew how to make a quality product to sell to consumers properly. It’s a process I had read about before, and I finally decided to start getting my hands dirty in early January 2020. During that 1.5 of research, I worked hard to create a unique brand that was customer-centric driven. I wanted to ensure that I not only offered products filled with natural, high-quality ingredients but the packaging and overall business mission and vision were something people could actually respect and get behind. I will forever be grateful for starting this business in an area that’s so accepting and welcoming for newcomers like me.
As you know, we’re big fans of Moonstone Soap + Candle Co. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
My passion is creating natural handcrafted vegan soaps and soy candles using the purest ingredients to invigorate your mind, body, + soul. I believe in using only wholesome and sustainable ingredients that are kind to you and our planet. Growing my own flowers + herbs and then using them in my products is one of my favorite parts of my craft. I’ve always loved growing things; no matter where I’ve lived, a garden has always grown. I feel most at peace when my hands are in the dirt. I was so happy to incorporate my love of plants into my love of natural products. From creating my custom scents with skin-loving essential oils to using flowers, herbs, and natural ingredients cultivated in my backyard, each product is uniquely handcrafted and specially made by me.
Each artisan candle is personally wicked, poured, and labeled by hand. I use only pure soy wax that’s 100% vegetable based and produced from U.S.-grown soybeans and lead and zinc-free cotton wicks that provide a clean, safe burn. My captivating candle scents are made from pure essential oils and phthalate-free fragrance oils and will safely fill any space with their aroma. My handmade soaps are crafted using high-quality organic oils, butter, herbs, spices, essential oils, and colorants to nourish your skin safely. Each soap bar is made from scratch in small batches using the Cold Process method. My soaps are scented using phthalate-free pure essential oils to produce only the safest-smelling soaps for your body. I use a variety of natural colorants directly from nature, such as herbs, spices, clays, and non-toxic, specially-formulated pigments when adding color to my soap creations. My soaps are filled with handpicked flower petals, herbs, and spices that act as a gentle exfoliate for your skin. All my soap options are vegan, as they are made only with sustainable, natural, and wholesome vegetable oils and fats. No animal products are used. My handmade crafts are personally packaged, wrapped, and shipped using only recycled and biodegradable materials.
What do you think about luck?
The role of luck is an interesting one. Some days it’s on my side, and some days, I swear it’s working against me, but luck gives me the fuel I need to see this dream through. I’m fortunate to have had this opportunity presents itself when it did, and I’m also lucky to have the strength and the guts to chase it.
If you had told a news reporter that I would one day give up a career I spent my entire life training for – just to become a soap + candle maker – I would have thought you were mad. But the pure joy and love that Moonstone brings me to make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
In early 2020 when we moved back and I couldn’t find a job, I thought I was down on my luck, but little did I know – it was just the universe playing out its epic plans for my future. And although I genuinely couldn’t see it at the time, Moonstone was born with a bit of luck and a lot of support from my husband, family, and friends.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoonstoneCompany
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/moonstone.company/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Moonstone.Company
