Two friends reconnected to fire up a candle business called Mixed Ethically that gives back to the community.

Co-owners Josh Walker of Pickerington and Tisha Hall of Worthington had worked together at a company called Thirty-One Gifts in 2018.

“I was on the procurement team,” Walker said. “One of my internal customers was the marketing team, and Tisha was on that team. We became friends then, and she has a visual merchandising and stylist background and a bunch of other things. She’s like a Jane-of-all-trades. We maintained a friendship over the years.”

After Walker started another business called The Electric Sheep in the downstairs of COhatch, 752 N. High St., mutual friends told Hall that she should check out what Walker was doing. Mixed Ethically is co-located with The Electric Sheep.

“We were just talking one day,” Walker said. “One of the things we’re both passionate about is being able to give back whether that’s through volunteering or being able to donate. We’re both really passionate about almost the same things which is what kind of makes us friends.”

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They both decided early on that they wanted to make a difference through the business, so a portion of the company’s profits will be funneled back into the community, focusing on such grassroots organizations as Pelotonia that directly benefit the community.

“Through the end of September, at least 10% of our profit will be donated to my ride for Pelotonia,” he said. “We’re looking for something that impacts local families. There are a couple food pantries in Worthington, but we’re also exploring a couple other opportunities.”

After conversations about giving back, Hall said, the two decided candles should be the focus of the business.

“Everyone loves candles, and who doesn’t need a candle?” she said. “As we dug in, I’m very passionate about products that are nontoxic and keeping everything as safe as possible. So that was one thing. I was on board if we could keep it clean. So we did.”

Walker said the process was started in January, and a website, mixedethically.com, was launched in mid-August. Hall also started selling in markets this summer.

The website promotes the business as “clean candles with something to say.”

Simple labels cover the candle jars with fun messages, such as “You’ll always be my bff. You know too much.”

Hall said some of the labels are family-friendly whereas others are a little risque.

“You’d be surprised how well those non-family-friendly sell,” she said. “They are popular.”  

Hall said she and Walker have a very twisted sense of humor.

“We love to make people laugh,” she said. “So we were like, 'Oh, my gosh, we have this product. We’ll make it very crowd pleasing, make people laugh and offer scents that will elevate your home.'” 

Walker said they use only 100% soy for the candles that are poured by hand in Worthington.

“We only use certified clean fragrances we purchase from one company that goes through a very rigorous testing process and certifies that all of the oils and ingredients are clean and they don’t contain any harmful chemicals,” he said. “One of the things that makes us unique is that all the fragrances are on the lid of the jars. We have the name of our fragrance and all the notes. The label on the face of the jar is just to make you laugh or inspire you or make you smile. We also have the ability to make custom labels.”

Walker said the candles come in 8 ounces that can provide 35 to 40 hours of burn time, if cared for properly. They also make candles in 4-ounce tins, but they don’t come with the fun labels.

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Walker said 25 scents are the core. Eight are part of the fall collection, and another eight to 10 are for holidays.

He said some popular ones are warm amber, saffron sandalwood and salty beach.

Powell resident Monica James, a friend of the owners, said she loves the merchandise.

“I love the simplicity of it,” she said. “I love that it’s local. I love the people making it.”

Another friend, Jackie Sinker, helped Hall and Walker test scents early in the process.

“I had company over, and I was testing some candles,” she said. “They were smelling them. Everyone liked the scents. Throughout the day and into the evening, the common theme was it’s just the right amount. The sweet ones weren’t too sweet. It’s the right amount of burn, the right amount of fragrance that comes off the burn where you don’t feel overtaken by the scent. Everyone had their favorites.”  

Mixed Ethically is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.