November Team Member Feature - JenSanCandles!

Jennifer and Sandra (JenSanCandles) were one of the firsts to join TeamTreasury in may of this year (09). They are very talented candle/soap makers with so many great products! We are very happy that they are apart of our team and that we get to help support their great business!

Thank you JenSanCandles for doing this feature - it's great to get to know you both better!

Personal…
JenSan Candles is a partnership between sisters Jennifer and Sandra Mapp. Sandra is the one answering the questions for this Q&A.

What furniture/design/home décor piece do you love most?
Both Jennifer and I love older houses. Our neighborhood has some of the best housing stock in New Jersey. There are 5 historical districts in our town. Our house is not in any of the historical areas but it’s a beautiful old colonial from the 1930’s set off on a double lot. The previous owner did not want a neighbor right on top of him so he brought the lot next door and made it into a huge lawn. And I’m so glad that he did. My favorite piece of furniture is probably a couple of chairs that Jennifer and I brought at a thrift shop a couple of years ago. We had our friend Jackie who is an amazing interior designer recover them for us and they look fantastic. I also love our off white sofa. It’s so soft and plush and you don’t want to get up when you sit down.

Married/single?
Single
Kids/no kids?
No kids but my niece and nephew Rachad & Rashida live with me and, it’s the same pain and joy as having your own
Pets/no pets?
With kids come pets. We have a dog (Happy) and two cats (Nikki and Nibbles). Happy barks a lot and thinks that he rules the roost but it’s really Nibbles who’s the queen of the castle. All she has to do is raise her paw and Happy is off to the races. Nikki is the shy one. If you ever stopped by my house you would never see her, as she spends most of her time hiding in the basement or under Jennifer’s bed.
Location?
Born in Barbados, raised in Queens, NY, and living in New Jersey for the last 18 years. My sister Jennifer (the Jen of JenSan) and I have talked about relocating to another state and I think that we’ll probably do that in the next 4 to 5 years. I would love to live in a milder climate but I still want to experience the change of seasons so it probably won’t be too far west.
Age?
The right side of 40
How many languages do you speak and what are they?
English only, although I’ve always wanted to go beyond my high school and college Spanish.
Do you play an instrument?
No. The closest that I’ve ever come to a musical instrument was the flute back in elementary school.
Can you sing?
Does singing in the shower count? I was in the glee club when I was in high school, but if you ask my niece and nephew, they would say that the instructor was just being kind….LOL!


Lets Talk Business…
What’s a good story behind your craft and what got you started?
Jennifer and I would often talk about someday starting our own business. Between 2004 and 2007 it seemed like every time we opened a business magazine there was an article on a woman who had taken the plunge and started her own business. We have always loved candles and spent quite a bit of money on them but quite often we would be disappointed when we burned them at home. One day Jennifer decided to take a stab at making some at home. The results were pretty good and after receiving many compliments on them, that’s when the idea to start a candle making business was born. This was about 3 years ago.


Where do you get inspirations?
Some things from which we draw inspiration are the colors and changes in the seasons and the bright colors and fragrances of flowers we recall from growing up in the Caribbean. We are also inspired by other companies like Carol’s Daughter, a business that also started at home but has grown tremendously.
Does your family help with your business/hobby?
It’s mostly my sister and I but the kids will help a bit when things are really busy. Of course they always want to be paid! I will generally pay them a little something when they help out.
Do you like your craft/hobby?
We love it! There is a big investment in both time and money but there is nothing like creating something that you are proud of and that others also like.



How do you market?
Friends, family, craft fairs. We’ve also done some advertising on a couple of blogs. We picked up some wholesale clients by just beating the pavement and visiting local stores. We have also offered market our products to local organizations for fundraisers and have had some success with that end of the business .
What gets neglected when you're tending to your shop or creating?
Sleep! Socializing with friends. Jennifer and I are both big movie fans but we have not been to a movie in months. Although I don’t think we’ve missed much because not too many quality movies were released this year.
What are your future plans for your business?
We started out with candles three years ago and have since branched out to include soaps, reed diffusers and bath scrubs. Our future goal is to expand to include lotions and other bath and beauty products and increase the number of candles selections we offer for sale.
Any bad experiences with etsy…rude customers/bad buy?
None so far.

For Fun…..
Are you awesome?
I think that I am
When was the last time you had a staring contest?
With my cat Nibbles a couple of days ago. I blinked.
When was the last time you fell asleep with the TV on?
LOL…Last night and almost every night. Luckily my TV comes with an alarm and I generally set it to turn off after a couple of hours.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
Only in movies and song but you can fall in lust at first sight.

Are vampires real?
I would love to think that there is a Lestat or Louis out there somewhere but I’m not sure that vampires as depicted in literature are real. However, I think that there are creatures here on earth and other planets that we have not met or discovered yet so maybe a vampire will be one of them.
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
LOL…in my mind it does.
Were you named after anyone?
No.
What is the first thing you notice about people?
If they look me in the eyes.
What is on your mouse pad?
Nothing. My MACs are mouseless
If you were another person would you be friends with you?
Yes. I think that I make a pretty good friend. I can be impatient sometimes and I don’t suffer fools gladly but I’m a good listener and I always have a friend’s back.

Favorites…..
Favorite number?
I don’t know why but from a child when asked about my lucky number, I would answer 8. I don’t think I have ever won anything with this number, but I’m confident that I will someday.
Favorite flower?
Gardenia
Favorite color?
My bedroom is painted gold, the dining room is in red, the living room is yellow, the family room is green and the master bath is in shades of brown. As you can tell, I love color but if I had to choose, I would say my favorite colors are red and gold.
Favorite smells?
The smells emanating from the kitchen when my mom is cooking. She is an amazing cook and the kitchen always smells great when she is cooking or baking.
Favorite food?
Pasta. But my favorite comfort food items are Kellogg’s Raisin Brand and Frosted Flakes.
Favorite etsy shop?
There are so many fantastic Etsy shops with amazing product offerings that I would not know how to choose. It’s almost like asking me to name my favorite movie. I could never narrow it down to just one.
Favorite pass-time?
Although I haven’t had the time to do much of it recently, I love to read. I read all different types of books from classic literature, to contemporary fiction, to horror, romance and mysteries. And I’m a big science fiction and fantasy fan. Some of my all time favorite books are John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, James Clavell’s Shogun, the mysteries of Elizabeth George and of course The Lord of the Rings. I have also read almost everything written by Stephen King. The Stand is my favorite. I’m also a diehard NY Mets fan. I’m always threatening to give them up but I can’t. They are just too much a part of me.
Favorite memory?
Mookie Wilson’s grounder going between the legs of Bill Buckner in the 6th game of the 1986 World Series championship that MY METS went on to win in 7 games. As much as I was screaming, I am amazed that I even had a voice left after that series.
Favorite YouTube video?
I’m not a big YouTube viewer but I do like to watch clips of musical performances. And two videos that I really like are of Barbara Streisand and Heather Headley singing “He Touched Me.” Two very different interpretations by two amazing singers.

Heather: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N212oq9vfVE
Barbara: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuYFZXw4c6M&feature=PlayList&p=420C76E7480C17F0&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6
They do Soap Too!