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hi there
nice to meet you
I'm Nikki, the dreamer, maker, designer, and creator for all things The Happy Elephant! I've always been candle obsessed, for as long as I can remember. There's just something about the coziness, the comfort, the nostalgia that candles bring.
silver linings
Like a lot of others, my professional career got turned upside down in 2020. I was also going through several challenging things on a personal level. After several months of soul searching, and finally realizing that life is far too short to always wonder "what if", something in me changed. I knew that going back to my "normal" job was no longer my path. I've always known, deep down, that I was put on this Earth to express my creativity and share it with others. I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit and no longer had an excuse for not pursuing it. With more time on my hands than ever before, the experimenting began. And OHH boy, were there experiments... hey, you only learn by failing, right? The past three years have been a whirlwind - some of the most challenging, grueling, but unbelievably exciting and fulfilling moments. Creating beautiful, clean products has brought me so much joy and has filled a void that I always felt was missing. I was offered my old job back in 2021 and after a ton of thought, I decided to turn it down. I've always been an "all or nothing" kinda gal and I knew if I didn't pursue this path, i'd regret it for the rest of my life. I have big dreams for The Happy Elephant and because of YOU and all the support I've received, I've got a fire in me to keep on chasin' my dream.
when i'm not slingin' candles..
I am obsessing over my furchild, Charlotte (fur real though - she is the center of my universe, the wind beneath my wings, alllll of the things), my other furchild kittykat Jax, who secretly but not so secretly loves his daddy more, and hangin' out with my awesome, supportive, super groovy husband, Wes. Other loves: plants!!, all of the animals (animals > humans), hot sauce, my a-dor-able nieces & nephew, my soul sisters/besties and family, interior design, head banging at concerts, lake life, enjoying life, being weird, laughing as much as possible.
life's about happy moments
our mission is to create handcrafted products that bring you ✨joy✨ and that spread ✨happy✨
beautiful + responsible
Clean ingredients
Our candles are made from 100% natural, vegan soy wax with clean, premium fragrance and essential oils (free from all carcinogens, mutagens, and toxins that are present in most big box store candles) and our wicks are made of toxic free cotton. Our soy candles even comply with the Proposition 65 warning in California, which if you looked at most of your household product labels, you would be surprised that the vast majority do not! They are also 100% phthalate-free.
One of the catalysts for starting this business was stumbling upon blog posts detailing the dangers of big box store candles. I looked around my house and saw about 6 of them. I knew I needed to educate myself. The ways in which these companies manipulate their marketing and show no care for excluding *extremely* harmful chemicals was baffling (just one example: toxic chemicals like benzene and toluene, which are known carcinogens and can also cause headaches, nausea, respiratory problems, and birth defects.) Not cool.
For all of our products, I source as many things as possible from local companies and small businesses throughout the US. Any product sourced for a gift box that is not handmade by us is purchased from another *small* business and is made in America (something VERY important to us!). All products are handcrafted in Collinsville, IL (15 minutes from downtown St. Louis, MO.)
discover happy moments
One of the catalysts for starting this business was stumbling upon blog posts detailing the dangers of big box store candles. I looked around my house and saw about 6 of them. I knew I needed to educate myself. The ways in which these companies manipulate their marketing and show no care for excluding *extremely* harmful chemicals was baffling (just one example: toxic chemicals like benzene and toluene, which are known carcinogens and can also cause headaches, nausea, respiratory problems, and birth defects.) Not cool.
For all of our products, I source as many things as possible from local companies and small businesses throughout the US. Any product sourced for a gift box that is not handmade by us is purchased from another *small* business and is made in America (something VERY important to us!). All products are handcrafted in Collinsville, IL (15 minutes from downtown St. Louis, MO.)