This Signal Hill studio specializes in repurposed wine bottle candles

Soy wax and wine bottles—that’s the unlikely combination that has led Keri Palustre’s business for the last seven years.

EKP Creations Candle Co. specializes in repurposed wine and liquor bottle candles using hand-poured soy wax.

The bottles—hand-cut by Palustre’s husband—are usually recycled from their own home or donated by friends, family and customers.

“It gives people satisfaction knowing their bottles [are] being repurposed and not just going into the recycle bin or a landfill,” Palustre said. 

EKP boasts a long list of 36 candle scents on its website, including amber and oakmoss (warm honey-like scent with a deep woodsy element), crisp apple and Egyptian amber (amber, musky sandalwood and rich vanilla base).

As spring approaches, the clean floral white tea and jasmine scent has been the most popular among customers.

The candles come in varying sizes, an eight-ounce candle (poured into a travel jar) burns for about 35 to 40 hours, according to Palustre. A short wine bottle holding 13 ounces of wax will burn for 60 hours and a large bottle holding 16 ounces can burn for a whopping 80 hours.

It’s the memories attached to scents that have always drawn Palustre to candles.

“If you walk into something and you smell gardenias, for example, gardenias remind me of my childhood, my mom had gardenia plants,” Palustre said. “Those kinds of scents take us to certain places in our past and kind of give us a warm fuzzy feeling inside.”

Although Palustre has long been a candle enthusiast, she started creating them for a living after quitting her corporate job to pursue more creative interests.

After frequenting craft shows and surrounding herself with other creatives, Palustre found her inspiration when she saw someone making candles with repurposed wine bottles.

“I thought, well I certainly have plenty of wine bottles lying around the house and we love candles, that could be a lot of fun to try,” Palustre said.

Taking the first step toward her new life, Palustre stopped by the craft store on the way home to buy wicks, oils and other candle supplies.

With no formal training, Palustre has learned from others in the industry, but first took to the “University of YouTube” to learn how to make her first batch of candles, eventually finding the recipes and formulas she would need to launch her business. 

Palustre shared her candles with family and friends until the candle recipe was perfected. Her first craft show was a hit—completely selling out, she noted, something that gave her confidence.

Seven years into her business, Palustre has been branching out to include travel jars and ceramic tumblers into her offerings. Reed diffusers, subscription boxes and wax melts are also offered in her online store.

One thing that hasn’t changed however is Palustre’s use of clean burning soy wax—which she chose because it’s a sustainable American-made product.

Part of the enticement to use soy wax comes from its clean and long-lasting burn, Palustre said, noting it can burn at a lower temperature.

Also catering to sustainability is the candle refill option offered by EKP Creations. Patrons have been returning over the years to replenish their bottles at a discount, Palustre said. Sometimes the bottles are meaningful anniversary or celebration pieces.

“There’s so many great labels on these wines, beautiful artwork, and we thought ‘Let’s figure out how to make this happen.’” Palustre said. “We certainly did not invent this process, but we thought we can make a great product out of it.”

The candle-making process itself takes multiple days. Candle batches, usually five to 10 a batch, are made during production days at Palustre’s newly-opened Signal Hill studio (shared with ceramics artist Sara Pilchman) and result in about 60 candles a day. At one point in the pandemic, Palustre did this process from home.

Palustre revels in the candle-making process and encourages others to get into candle-making, noting she’s available to answer questions.

“I’m proud of myself,” Palustre said, noting she’s excited to grow within the community. “I’ve been able to get through the pandemic, we were able to pivot and make adjustments to continue selling our candles and making our candles. I’m really proud of what I’ve created here.”

EKP Creations is located at 1462 E. 33rd St. in Signal Hill. The showroom is open Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.To keep up with EKP Creations, follow them on Instagram at @ekp_creations or visit their website here.