Small Business Spotlight: The Starlit Corner
Meet Ashley Conner, the owner of The Starlit Corner, a Florida-based home fragrance company offering unique scents in shapes that are almost too cute to melt! From subscription boxes packed with fandom-themed products to her signature teacup melts; her creative spin on wax melts has amassed her a huge online following of repeat customers! Her TikTok showcasing her creative process behind the scenes have garnered her over 3.2 million likes on TikTok's with her a following of over 30 thousand users! In addition to running her small business empire full-time, she is a wife and mother to 4 of the sweetest kiddos!
When she isn't pouring wax melts or packing orders, you can find her playing Harvest Moon, spending quality time with her family, and baking occasionally. She's also got quite the green thumb and a collection of plants that would make any plant parent jealous!
She's a prime example of the magic that can happen when you take a risk on yourself and pursue your passions!
Check out our Q&A with Ashley to learn more about her, her business, and how you can shop her products!
LLF: Tell us a little about yourself!
TSC: I’m Ashley at The Starlit Corner! I specialize in making unique and whimsical functional art in the form of scented wax melts. If you love pretty little things and yummy scents, I’m your girl! Outside of this job I spend most of my time with my four sweet kids and I try to sneak in some gaming or baking here and there. We offer wax melt subscription boxes with a new exciting theme and fragrance list each month. And we also do monthly shop updates with lots of stock to choose from in all kinds of crazy shapes. But my favorite is our signature wax melt teacup!
LLF: What inspired you to create a home fragrance business?
TSC: I always loved my home to smell good. Especially after a good clean! And when I discovered wax melts I just completely fell in love. So much that I decided to make my own. I really didn’t think it would become a whole business in the beginning but I opened up a shop in order to make room to make more and the rest is history!
LLF: How did you start your business?
TSC: I really started extremely small. I was 8 months pregnant when I opened my shop and I’m not even joking, I had $80 in my bank account. So it was definitely a time of stress but really as soon as I took that leap I almost immediately saw huge changes in my life. Always take that chance on yourself!
LLF: What are you 3 most popular scents?
TSC: My most popular scents right now are Brunch With Barbie (she smells like a lemon cake with a side of margaritas), Bread in the Clouds (marshmallow clouds type and French baguettes) and Glow Up (pink sugar type and shaving cream)!
LLF: How do you balance running a full-time business and being a mom?
TSC: I live out of a giant clean laundry mountain and I also have a partner who goes above and beyond to make it possible for me to get equal amounts of work and family time. I also have one planner for work and one for everything we need to keep organized with family life. That has been a lifesaver when it comes to raising kind humans and keeping my customers as happy as possible!
LLF: What is your favorite part about having your own business?
TSC: Because of this business, I am able to take off for the big moments in my kids, friends and family’s lives. I may be busy most of the time but I can drop work at any moment when it really matters most.
LLF: How do you find inspiration for your products?
TSC: As a big foodie, most of my inspiration comes from desserts and other yummy edible things. But I also love to add a bit of whimsy to my designs so I find nature and magical beings to be a big part of my daydreaming.
LLF: What is something you wish your customers knew?
TSC: I wish that I could express into words how incredibly powerful and life changing it has been to be scooped up by all of the people who have supported my business over the years. They have completely rewritten my life in such a positive way with the amount of love and generosity they have shown me and my family. I think that people who go out of their way and spend their time and energy on supporting small businesses have a special kind of heart that you don’t see everywhere.
LLF: What is the best piece of advice you've gotten as a small business owner?
TSC: To enjoy the process rather than to worry about the outcome. If you have that priority of just loving what you do will change everything. And make the hard parts of running a small business worth it.
LLF: Top 3 favorite small businesses?
TSC: This was such a hard question to answer! But these three are some of the small businesses that are always on my mind :
Everything Vice Wax - LuLu and I have become the best of friends over our love of being wax melt makers!
The Whimsical Warrior - Alexzandra makes such beautiful stained glass fairies and other magical pieces. I want every single thing that she makes!
Cosmic Cleanse - I get most of my bath and body care from Heidi! I love them so much and the sweet person behind it all!
LLF: Why do you think it's important to support other small business owners?
TSC: Small business owners put their heart and soul into what they do. There is so much heart involved in their process. I know that what services I receive from a small business is going to have 100% put into it. Which gives the whole exchange so much more meaning.
LLF: If you were a wax melt what scent would you be and what shape?
TSC: I love this! I think my scent would be something sweet and earthy. Like a vanilla santal and cinnamon sugar!
We want to thank Ashley for taking the time to chat with us! Be sure to give her a follow, check out her ready-to-ship products, and join her Facebook Group to stay in the loop on upcoming sales and preorders!
Connect with Ashley:
Instagram: thestarlitcorner
Facebook: The Starlit Corner
Facebook Group: The Starlit Corner
TikTok: : thestarlitcorner
Her website: https://www.thestarlitcorner.com/
Are you a small business or non-profit interested in being spotlighted? Let's connect!
Send us an email at llf@vizypay or find us on Instagram & Facebook!
***DISCLAIMER***
All photos and logos featured are the property of The Starlit Corner. Please contact the owner before using her copyrighted materials.
