Glowing up: Newport Beach candle brand outgrows its backyard roots
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The business progression for Danielle Whisenand has taken her from working out of a back house at her Newport Heights home to a warehouse on the west side of the Costa Mesa.
She was more than happy to move Backhouse Fragrances into the 3,500-square-foot space a few weeks ago; it’s more than 10 times bigger than the studio where the business was formerly housed.
The candle seller no longer has to burn the candle at both ends at home. Now she’s in a creative space where she’s surrounded by other entrepreneurs.
“I’m so happy just to have a space where we can, you know, create something and see what the potential of the business is,” Whisenand said.
Whisenand, 52, launched the hand-poured candle company known for its luxe scents in 2019. Now, she has more room to keep up with the demand of the retail and corporate-giving business, the latter of which has really blossomed in the last few years.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Whisenand said everyone started shipping Backhouse Fragrances candles out and gifting them to people, with a note attached. Meanwhile, celebrities like Selma Blair posted the product on social media, further helping the business gain traction.
Whisenand, the mother of four children, has more time as three of them are now out of the house. She also has the support of her husband, Taylor.
The candles themselves contain names that are meaningful to the family — “Lido” is the sandalwood candle named for Lido Island, and “Apolena” is the sea salt and sage candle named for the street on Balboa Island where Danielle moved to during a transitional period in her life. Then, there’s “Margaret,” the currant-forward candle named for the street the family calls home after Whisenand was remarried 13 years ago.
“It’s kind of funny,” she said, with a laugh. “When I named it Margaret, I never really thought how many people’s name is Margaret. So we have all kinds of Margarets that order the Margaret candle, which wasn’t really the point of it.”
Backhouse Fragrances is now more than just wicks and wax. The company began selling hand washes in 2023, and Whisenand said diffusers are coming soon. A new gift basket will contain hand wash, a dish towel and a cutting board. No candles in sight, though one can be added.
“We have quite a few product extensions coming this year,” Whisenand said. “Cutting boards, notepads, journals. We really are focused on growing our corporate gifting and gift box business. That’s become a pretty big business for us … we do a lot of our business in the fourth quarter.”
Kelly Cotreau, director of logistics and administration at AEG Global Partnerships, said her company used Backhouse Fragrances for a sizable amount of customized corporate gift boxes last year. Earlier this week, she reached back out to Whisenand about an order for this holiday season.
Cotreau said she appreciates the packaging that also gives the product an elevated feel.
“We’re excited about it,” Cotreau said. “Even as she expands and grows, it still has a very hands-on feel for us, where we’re working with her directly even as she connects us with other people on her team. We can still text her and connect with her. She’s very responsive to that and wants to work with us.”
The larger space helps Whisenand and her small staff handle orders at real scale, though she laughs that she’s been able to fill up the space so quickly. In the back, there’s a space for candle pouring.
She learned to make candles from her artist mother, Toni, as a child growing up in Huntington Beach.
In past years, Whisenand said she’d have to stop holiday orders by early November due to space issues in her 300-square-foot backyard studio. Though there’s currently not a full storefront at the Costa Mesa warehouse location, she looks forward to planning a boutique shop for the holidays.
“It just feels so nice,” said Whisenand, who previously spent about two decades in the real estate appraisal business. “This is actually the first time since being in my 20s that I’ve come to an office and come to work. I’m just so much more productive, and I can think and get work done and separate home from work, which is really, really nice. I think it’s nice for my team, too.”
