Name of business: MC Candles

Type of business: Hand-poured soy candles and wax melts

Location: Denair

Contact information: 209-552-1020; @m_c_candles on Instagram

Specialty: Wide variety of scents

History of business:

Denair resident and Turlock High School alumna Kaylee Shipman is helping those stuck inside during the pandemic fill their homes with a little bit of warmth — and some sensational aromas — all while celebrating the memory of her late daughter. 

Shipman first started her business, MC Candles, in October 2019 and has since amassed thousands of followers on social media, providing homemade products to residents of not only her own town but Turlock, Modesto, Hughson, Chowchilla and even other states. She knows many people may not understand the name of her business, but that’s alright; it means something incredibly important to her.

“MC Candles is named after my daughter, Madalynn Corvello,” Shipman said.

Shipman’s daughter Madalynn was born in November 2017 but passed away shortly after her birth. She would have been almost two years old when Shipman first started her business, which coincidentally got its start during the same month as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. The day of remembrance is held annually on Oct. 15 and sees participants light a candle in memory of a lost little one. 

“It felt like it all came together. I started the business in October, and considering what Oct. 15 means to me and the business being candles, I feel like it was just meant to be to name it after her,” Shipman said. “No one can really wrap their mind around what it’s like to lose a child until you do, and it’s really a long journey.”

Shipman used to buy hand-poured soy candles from another local entrepreneur prior to making them herself, stocking up on different scents and sizes regularly. When the business she had previously been purchasing candles from decided to close down, Shipman was able to buy all of their supplies at a discounted price and soon was pouring her own. 

Eventually, Shipman had created too many candles to count and decided to list them for sale on social media.

“It just kind of took off from there,” Shipman said. “They’ve been a huge hit.”

Shipman offers porch pick-up, local delivery and shipping through her Instagram page and also sells at local pop-up events. They come in six-ounce and 12-ounce mason jars and are offered in a variety of scents, with MC Candles' most popular being pineapple sage, Mediterranean fig and peppermint eucalyptus, to name a few. Shipman recently introduced a gentlemen’s line of scents which feature stronger scents like “boss man.”

The support from the community has been exceptional over the past year, Shipman said, even during the pandemic. 

“I’m very humble; I’m not somebody who sells my product very well at all. I’m not a salesperson and I hate pushing things on people. I want my product to sell itself and for people to see it in their home and be happy,” Shipman said. “It’s such a dark time right now, so I think everyone can use a little something to bring cheer to their hearts and their home. It’s nice that a simple candle can do that for them.”

Shipman also works full time in addition to her side hustle as a candle maker, using hours where she’s not on the clock to melt, pour and cure her candles. She also offers soy wax melts, which provide the aroma of a candle without the flame.

Through the support of the community, MC Candles continues to shine a light on the meaningful life of Shipman’s daughter.

“Grief is a journey and it never ends, and to do something to honor her is really special,” Shipman said.