Kendal Brown Started His Career In Ministry & Pivoted Into A Nationally Known Candlemaker

"So my craft is something that I call the contemplative process of candle making. The process of getting here or the route to getting to this place is a bit long and winded so I'll try to make it as brief as possible. I was an artsy kid, I was born in the bustling metropolis of Danville, Virginia. That's a huge laugh line for your listeners. It's not a bustling metropolis, but it's Southern Virginia right on the North Carolina border, and had a wonderful childhood. However, there wasn't an affirming environment for an artsy kind of kid growing up in rural Virginia in the south. So I kind of left those longings except for music and those desires kind of along the way as I grew older and couldn't imagine a life for myself as an artist or as a maker. But still had this longing. I would literally be driving in my car as an adult and I would look at my hands and say, I'm supposed to be doing something with my hands. I would have just kind of this inner knowing and you know, I used to play piano for churches, I used to draw and make paintings and do all kinds of artsy stuff, but just got older and just got farther and farther away from that. Long story short, about six years ago, I was in a department store and the candle section is always the first section that I go to because candles have been a part of my content. My writing process, my meditation process, my unwinding process for as long as I can remember. So went to the candle section picked up a candle and I don't tell everyone this because some folks may turn their heads a little bit. But I literally heard a voice that said, you can make this, and making a candle was nowhere on my radar. But as clear as I can hear my voice, I heard that voice and I went home like a madman and got on Google and "googled" -- how to make a candle. And, you know, watch tons of videos, I went to Barnes and Noble and scrounged around for books and got a few candle making supplies and ordered some things online and made some things for myself and friends and family and said, hey, you know, what do you think about this, and didn't know what I was going to do with it, but knew that I wanted to be a maker and knew that I wanted to do something with my hands. So just it was just itching to come out of me.," said Kendal Brown, owner and founder of 228 Grant Street Candle Co.Kendal was continually searching for something to do with his hands and stumbled upon the craft of candlemaking. His studio and storefront are in the heart of Baltimore off of 228 Grant Street. The scents within his collection remind him of memories with his grandmother, she was quite the baker and canner. There was always something on the stove or in the freezer that could be magically put together for sustaining nourishment at his grandmother's. Her front porch served as a neighborhood therapy office. Candlemaking was quite the fit for Kendal with his upbringing in mind.Tune in to learn more about Kendal's journey building 228 Grant Street Candle Co. You can learn more about his business by heading over to their website and visiting their Facebook and Instagram.Also, tune in to the end to listen to Deanna Bogart, the featured musician of the episode. Her single Still A Girl In The Band is one you don't want to miss. If you enjoyed this Makers of the USA episode, please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Facebook. Please check out Makers of the USA's YouTube channel, Facebook and Instagram. Thank you all and stay safe and healthy.