We recently had the chance to connect with Corinne Fry-Rich and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Corinne , it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
My dogs will always bring me joy. They are the complete opposite of each other which is why they make me laugh so much. I have a 4 year old , 140 Newfoundland named Georgie who is so sweet and sensitive and my other dog is a 12 year old French bulldog girl named Mimi who is a tough as nails. Mimi is the boss and will protect our family fiercely.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Corinne Fry-Rich and I am the owner of Chantry 1975 and candle studio and gift shop in Sierra Madre , CA. I am also the General Manager and Ceramic Engineer for my families ceramic glaze company F&M Ceramics which has been in business for almost 40 years.. I have a background in makeup and fashion and have had a few businesses in the past and after closing my handbag company in 2008 when the recession hit I went to work for my dad at F&M Ceramics and I’ve been there ever since. I needed my own creative outlet and after studying perfume blending I launched Chantry 1975 in my kitchen and it was just a little idea of selling great candles to my family and friends. We are now in a 1400 sq foot studio and sell our candles online, in our studio store, in retailers across the country but we also have a large private label business where we pour candles for some fairly large brands which we absolutely love. Some of the brands we pour for have won awards for best candles which is a really great feeling.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
So I have the most amazing group of girlfriends and we are known in town and amongst each other as the Good Vibe Tribe. We are a group of women that are not only creative , but we are all silly and quirky in our own way. We formed this friendship later in life which is hard to do for women which makes it that much more special. We have our daily text messages checking in on the group chat and we discuss what we have going on for the day and we ask for good juju from each other . We really are a group of women that empower each other and we know that we always have each others backs. The message of the Good Vibe Tribe has spread throughout our customer base and community so much so that we have a giant Good Vibe Tribe mural on the studio wall and we hand out stickers and merch. Women have got to stick together now more than ever when it feels like our rights are stripped away. My biggest joy is when I get young women that come in my shop and I get to learn their story, what they are studying and what they are passionate about. Hearing these backgrounds and stories of these young woman that are strong and fierce in their convictions restores my faith in humanity. I make sure they know that I am only a phone call or text away and the studio is always a safe space and they are welcome to come hang out and just vent about their day. The Chantry studio really is a happy place for so many. You will often hear us playing disco, house music or yacht rock and busting into random dance breaks.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
I was in an extremely abusive relationship and my ex had injured my right hand which is my dominate and drawing hand. The injury was so bad that my right hand is partially paralyzed. I think what I took away from this which took years of work and therapy was not to accept the poor behavior of others and that their issues do not have to be my issues. None of us are perfect by any means but we can work through trauma whether its family trauma, childhood trauma or relationship trauma if we recognize the signs and know that we don’t have to stay in a situation that’s damaging. We can break the cycle and have the most beautiful lives, but it does take work.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I think my Good Vibe Tribe would say what matters to me is my family, my pets and providing a safe, happy and creative space for people to just come hang out at. Also that the products we create must be great on so many levels or I won’t launch them. Sometimes it takes me years to test and reformulate a product or fragrance before I put it on the shelf. The market is saturated with junky candles and poorly made body products so I won’t add to that. We have some cult favorites like our Oil of Soulay face Oil, our bath salts that are infused with coconut and jojoba oil, our room sprays and body sprays fly off the shelves but our candles which we offer in over 30 different scents are magical. My friends know that pour my heart and soul in everything I develop.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I’m at my studio pouring candles or stocking shelves and I have the music playing and customers singing and dancing. I get so much joy when I do events or classes at my studio with other local creatives and we have our in house female DJ Richi C spinning the tunes and we are packed at the work tables. The smiles and joy makes me giddy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chantry1975.com
- Instagram: http//:instgram.com/chantry1975.com
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/chantry1975.com
- Yelp: http://yelp.com/chantry1975.com
- Youtube: youtube.com chantry 1975
Image Credits
Photo Credit by Juan Cazanova at Phocal One
