For local maker Maria Jose Cortes, candle-making has grown from a side hobby to a full-time job all within a couple of years.
She picked up the craft during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to cope with the everyday stresses of being an essential worker.
In July 2020, she launched her candle business, Di Luna Candles, and began selling candles at local pop-up events and markets. (She also has her candles in shops around Arizona!)
A little over a year later, Di Luna Candles became her full-time job due to the high demand of her handcrafted products.
Now, the 28-year-old candlemaker is set to open a brick-and-mortar shop at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 4. The shop is located at 3061 N. Campbell Ave.
Di Luna Candles' brick-and-mortar shop located at 3061 N. Campbell Ave.
“I feel really confident about my idea because it wasn't just something that I did overnight,” Cortes said. “I've been planning it for a long time and everything is planned out. Obviously, there's always things that happen and stuff like that. But I have my plan, my business plan, and it’s set in motion and it's happening now.”
All of the candles you'll find from Di Luna are non-toxic and made from natural ingredients and materials including 100% soy wax and cotton wicks, and all-natural fragrance oils.
Cortes says she has around 20 scents, ranging from desert lime to citrus peach, available in three different sizes, plus wax melts. Prices range from $6 to $30.
One of her favorite scents is the fig and flora, a warmer scent compared to some of the more popular citrus and clean scents that she offers.
Typically, from start to finish, the candles take around two days to complete since they are all hand-poured and decorated.
Aside from using all-natural ingredients, Cortes felt like she needed a signature element for her candles — something that set her apart from the rest. That's why you'll find items like dehydrated fruits, flowers or crystals atop her candles.
“I think the product that I'm gonna sell in the store is gonna match the aesthetic of the store,” she said of her brick-and-mortar.
The shop will feature a “maximalist and eclectic” design, a workshop in the back for her to make candles, and a space for candle-making and craft classes, networking events and even a book club, according to Cortes.
Some of the candles that Maria Jose Cortes has created for her business Di Luna Candles.
“I've done classes before and the most recent ones I did at The Monica downtown, I did two of them and I got about 90 people in two days. And I had a lot of people message me just saying that they loved the atmosphere and the energy and that they got to meet other people,” she said. “I think that's what's gonna make it (the shop) more special. And I hope it's a space where everybody feels welcome and invited.”
All in the family
Cortes moved to Tucson around 10 years ago after growing up in Nogales, Arizona in an entrepreneurial family.
Her mom has run JC Jewels, an online and pop-up jewelry boutique, for 17 years. Her sister recently joined the endeavor, too. Her dad, on the other hand, runs a catering company.
Cortes received a lot of support from her family when starting Di Luna Candles — everything from helping make the candles to running tables at markets when she's out of town.
Even the name Di Luna was partially inspired by her family and childhood memories.
“My parents would be like, ‘Look, Majo,’ (People call me Majo because my name is Maria Jose.) And they're like, ‘Look, your moon,’” she said. “And then I would look out and I would say, ‘Oh, mi luna.’ And so it's always been kind of like a thing with my parents and the moon. And I've always loved the moon so when I was looking for names, I looked up a few things that were already taken by other companies. And so I wanted it to be something completely different. So I would just look up names and see what was available. And then I looked up ‘di luna’ and it's ‘of the moon’ in Italian.”
Maria Jose Cortes of Di Luna Candles launched her candle business in July 2020.
Cortes is excited to have her family by her side as she begins her own business journey and builds a team to help run Di Luna Candles.
“We always say that we're a team and we help each other out a lot,” she said.
Along with the opening of her brick-and-mortar shop, Cortes plans on opening an online store so she can ship her candles worldwide.
“I had no idea that there were so many small businesses until I opened my business and I started doing markets,” she said. “Because last year from August to December, I was doing 2-5 markets a week every week. So I met so many people but I had no idea that there were so many small-business owners. And it's just so awesome to see everybody support each other.
“I think that we have a good community in Tucson where people like to attend these types of events and they like to support small businesses because there are so many. So I just think that's super cool.”
To find out more about Di Luna Candles, check out their Instagram page.
