Article: Meet the Founder of Well-Taylored Co.
Meet the Founder of Well-Taylored Co.
My name is Taylor, but my friends call me Tee or Tay for short. I’m an advocate for slow and intentional living, a keeper of dried bouquets, a believer in community over competition, and a lover of making others feel welcome and comfortable in my home.
I know they say that if you do something you love you'll never work a day in your life. I've also heard they say that you should immediately quit working for the man when you become lucrative elsewhere in life. I need you to know right now that I'm not the ever elusive "they". I'm not that friend that will tell you that you need to quit that 9-5 before you're ready. I'm not that gal that will make you feel small for just wanting a side-hustle. But I am that person that will cheer you on no matter how big or how small you want your passions to be.
I started Well-Taylored Co. in 2019 as a hub of unique thrifted finds that slowly morphed into a mercantile of goodes created by female makers from all over the USA. I was working 9-5 as a graphic designer and knew I was made to do more than spend 40 hours a week for the rest of my life at a desk. When 2020 hit, I became even more restless and unsure of what God's plan for my life was. I had big dreams but no idea how, where, or when to make them happen. I also had the voices of all adults in human history that told me I needed a stable job and steady income, joy be damned.
As WTC began to grow, I realized I wanted to take my little shop further: I wanted my own product to sell. I decided candles was the winner - I've always loved fragrance, especially for the home. I had a box of candles I toted with me across the Georgia-Carolina border and back again after moving home from Charleston. I worked with a local business and we created two scents that we still carry today: Haus and Salt. Thankfully with white-labeling, you can get someone else to do all the heavy lifting while you just have to shell out the money.
After a few months and some serious burn-out I paused WTC. I liked what I was doing but I wanted a shop and since I didn't have the money for a shop I became frustrated. I've had vivid dreams of owning a brick and mortar since my early 20's. It's always ever evolving in terms of what is offered there, but it's always mine nonetheless. After a few months of sulking and recentering my vision, I decided to make the transition from buyer to maker and it's completely changed my life.
With the end of 2020 coming, I started spending every possible free moment researching candle making, product creation, branding for businesses, all. the. things. My husband (then-boyfriend) bought me a candle making kit and my first Presto Pot for wax melting. I cried an awful lot and continued my research until I cracked open that candle kit on New Year's day. I made lavender and vanilla scented candles. Ew. But they were my first ever! I was so proud!
I spent the next 6 months creating products and clean ingredient fragrances that I could hang my hat on, wrapping them in stories that inspired them and naming them accordingly. With my history in graphic designing I was able to build a shop and branding that I liked and have continued to grow with it. It's always when you're outside of one chapter of life that you see how perfectly your path has been paved for you. My path led me right to June 1, 2021 when I relaunched as a solely home-fragrance company and never looked back!
In the year and some change that we've been filling others' homes with our fragrances, I was able to leave my full-time job to pursue WTC! We also found ourselves in retailers all across the area, and even up in New York. Countless markets, craft shows, and pop-ups have served as the best places to connect with others and cultivate relationships with those that enjoy shopping with us. I was also able to move into a studio space when I outgrew my tiny back bedroom (and hallway and living room...). We've hosted workshops, created custom blends for small businesses, and collaborated with other small makers.
It's wild to think this is still just the very beginning.
I know they say that if you do something you love you'll never work a day in your life. I've also heard they say that you should immediately quit working for the man when you become lucrative elsewhere in life. I need you to know right now that I'm not the ever elusive "they". I'm not that friend that will tell you that you need to quit that 9-5 before you're ready. I'm not that gal that will make you feel small for just wanting a side-hustle. But I am that person that will cheer you on no matter how big or how small you want your passions to be.
I started Well-Taylored Co. in 2019 as a hub of unique thrifted finds that slowly morphed into a mercantile of goodes created by female makers from all over the USA. I was working 9-5 as a graphic designer and knew I was made to do more than spend 40 hours a week for the rest of my life at a desk. When 2020 hit, I became even more restless and unsure of what God's plan for my life was. I had big dreams but no idea how, where, or when to make them happen. I also had the voices of all adults in human history that told me I needed a stable job and steady income, joy be damned.
As WTC began to grow, I realized I wanted to take my little shop further: I wanted my own product to sell. I decided candles was the winner - I've always loved fragrance, especially for the home. I had a box of candles I toted with me across the Georgia-Carolina border and back again after moving home from Charleston. I worked with a local business and we created two scents that we still carry today: Haus and Salt. Thankfully with white-labeling, you can get someone else to do all the heavy lifting while you just have to shell out the money.
After a few months and some serious burn-out I paused WTC. I liked what I was doing but I wanted a shop and since I didn't have the money for a shop I became frustrated. I've had vivid dreams of owning a brick and mortar since my early 20's. It's always ever evolving in terms of what is offered there, but it's always mine nonetheless. After a few months of sulking and recentering my vision, I decided to make the transition from buyer to maker and it's completely changed my life.
With the end of 2020 coming, I started spending every possible free moment researching candle making, product creation, branding for businesses, all. the. things. My husband (then-boyfriend) bought me a candle making kit and my first Presto Pot for wax melting. I cried an awful lot and continued my research until I cracked open that candle kit on New Year's day. I made lavender and vanilla scented candles. Ew. But they were my first ever! I was so proud!
I spent the next 6 months creating products and clean ingredient fragrances that I could hang my hat on, wrapping them in stories that inspired them and naming them accordingly. With my history in graphic designing I was able to build a shop and branding that I liked and have continued to grow with it. It's always when you're outside of one chapter of life that you see how perfectly your path has been paved for you. My path led me right to June 1, 2021 when I relaunched as a solely home-fragrance company and never looked back!
In the year and some change that we've been filling others' homes with our fragrances, I was able to leave my full-time job to pursue WTC! We also found ourselves in retailers all across the area, and even up in New York. Countless markets, craft shows, and pop-ups have served as the best places to connect with others and cultivate relationships with those that enjoy shopping with us. I was also able to move into a studio space when I outgrew my tiny back bedroom (and hallway and living room...). We've hosted workshops, created custom blends for small businesses, and collaborated with other small makers.
It's wild to think this is still just the very beginning.
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