Nine-year-old Broadview Heights entrepreneur creates sweet scents with new company
by Jacqueline Mitchell
Nine-year-old Aurora Clough is reaching for the stars as she envisions her future career as an entrepreneur.
The Chippewa Elementary fourth-grader started her own small business, Aurora Borealis Candles, earlier this year, but she isn’t stopping there. Her dreams include owning her own candle shop and becoming a millionaire before she’s 20.
Aurora’s entrepreneurial journey began last holiday season with a gift from her great-grandmother.
“For Christmas, my great-grandma gave me this candle kit, and I fell in love with making candles while I was doing it, so I decided to make my own business,” Aurora said.
She was inspired by her mother Stephanie’s small business, a home bakery called Mina’s Cakes. The two now sell their products side-by-side at local farmers’ markets during the warmer months.
Aurora’s creations complement her mother’s baked treats, with scents such as blueberry cobbler, cinnamon bun, snickerdoodle and hot apple pie.
The name for her company comes from an old nickname, Aurora said.
“My gym teacher would always call me Borealis, so I decided to call my company that name.,’’ she said. “It sounded great because it’s the Northern Lights, and it’s a candle light.”
She creates the candles with a little help from her mother.
“First, I clean the jars,” Aurora said. “Then, I put in the wicks. I put the jars in the warming drawer, and we weigh the wax, and we melt the wax in a double boiler. We add dye and scents, and my mom pours the wax into each glass container and weighs it, because it’s too hot for me. I place the wick holders once she’s done doing that. Once they’re all dry, I cut the wicks.”
Aurora adds the company name, scent and warning labels.
She puts a lot of thought into each ingredient used in her products. Wicks are 100 percent cotton, and wax is 100 percent soy.
“Soy wax is environmentally friendly,” Aurora explained. “It burns cleaner and has no carcinogens. It has a cleaner, natural scent.”
Fragrance oils are purchased online.
“She runs through a list of different kinds of fragrance oils and thinks about what people would like,” said Aurora’s father, Philip Shipman.
The candles have an average burn time of 35-40 hours.
What’s up next in Aurora’s business plan? Eventually, she said, “to buy a shop and hire employees to help me make all of the candles.”
As she grows her company, Aurora has her sights set on traveling to Paris and buying a beach house for herself and her parents.
In the meantime, she’s releasing new holiday scents, including Hansel and Gretel and peppermint mocha.
Aurora Borealis Candles can be purchased locally at shops such as Mindful Juicery in Broadview Heights and Holistic Halo Salt Spa in North Royalton. They are also available at aurora-borealis-candles.com.
Aurora and her family have lived in Broadview Heights for the past eight years. She has three siblings.
For updates on her business, visit Aurora Borealis Candles on Facebook.
Feature image photo caption: Aurora Clough, 9, displays one of her homemade candles. Photo courtesy P. Shipman
