At Paper Mart, we love celebrating the passionate small business owners who inspire us every day. In this spotlight, we’re excited to introduce Susan Short of Toadily Handmade Beeswax Candles—a longtime customer and talented creator who’s been handcrafting beautiful beeswax candles with heart and purpose since 2006.
A Little About Susan & Toadily Handmade Beeswax Candles
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your business! How did you get inspired to start?
We began as a simple craft project in our home kitchen back in 2006. From day one, we’ve been a family-owned and operated business, built with love and support from those closest to us and our incredible customers. Within two years, we outgrew our kitchen setup and now create products out of our studio workshop in San Juan Capistrano. For 18 years, we’ve been hand-pouring and hand-rolling 100% beeswax candles, staying true to our craft and our roots every step of the way.
Do you have any favorite creations that you want to share with us?
We’re proud of all our products, but our Beeswax Candle Making Kits hold a special place in our hearts. It was a full family effort from start to finish and even have our nieces pictured on the box. We wanted to create something that everybody could enjoy. We took the DIY model and made candle rolling easy and accessible for everyone. Each kit includes pure beeswax honeycomb sheets in a variety of colors depending on the kit, with instructions and some cotton wick—everything you need to get started working with this incredible natural resource right at home!
Toadily Handmade Beeswax Candles & Paper Mart
After all these years, we can confidently say Paper Mart is a trusted source for so many of our supplies. Paper Mart products bring us peace of mind knowing that our products will make it to their destinations safely.
– Susan at Toadily Handmade Beeswax Candles
As you know, we’re celebrating 100+ years as a family-owned business, and we couldn’t have done it without your support throughout the years. What are your thoughts on the importance of shopping family-owned and local?
As a family-owned business, we know how special it is to shop small and local! There’s something very meaningful about supporting other family businesses in a fast-paced, mass-produced world. We understand the heart and hard work that goes into every detail—from building relationships to creating products with care. From our Paper Mart supplies to our beeswax sheets, natural beeswax, and cotton wick to the workshop we lease, we’ve been lucky to work with other family-owned businesses who put their all into what they do, just like we do!
How did you hear about Paper Mart, how long have you been a customer with us, and what keeps you coming back?
We’ve been shopping with Paper Mart since the very beginning in 2006, and 18 years later, we’re still loyal customers! There are so many reasons we keep coming back—they often offer discounts that we can pass along to our customers and are always so helpful to small businesses like ours. Plus, we love that they’re a local company with quick delivery and are always available to answer any questions we have about their products. After all these years, we can confidently say Paper Mart is a trusted source for so many of our supplies. Paper Mart products bring us peace of mind knowing that our products will make it to their destinations safely.
What are your favorite Paper Mart products and why do you love them?
How could we ever choose just one? From boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and poly bags to protect our products to organza bags and ribbons for embellishing- Paper Mart has everything we could want or need. We trust that our packages will make it to their destinations and that our customers will be pleased!
Shop Toadily Handmade Beeswax Candles‘ Favorites
Discover More of Susan’s Shipping and Packaging Essentials:
- Standard RSC Corrugated Boxes
- Flat Polyethylene Bags – 2 mil
- Satin Ribbon
- Fragile Shipping Stickers
- Super Clear Carton Sealing Tape
- White Tear-Proof Polyolefin Mailing Envelopes
- Economy Air Bubble Wrapping (300 ft)
- 40# Medium Weight Brown Kraft Paper Roll
Paper Mart Fosters Your Creativity
No matter what stage of growth you’re at in your business, we understand how important it is for you to have the best supplies to make your creative vision come to life. We are always here to lend our expertise to help you get the perfect packaging for whatever you need. Whether you love our ribbons, bags, or our gift wrap, we’ve got you covered.
All images are courtesy of Susan Short at Toadily Handmade Beeswax Candles unless otherwise indicated by caption. If you’d like to learn more about Susan’s business or place an order for yourself, check out her website.
To stay updated on all things Paper Mart – subscribe to our email list here! You’ll be the first to know about any new blog posts, seasonal promotions, and sales.
If you’d like to see more of our wonderful customers or learn about our Paper Mart family, check out our other Spotlights.