Our Story

Unique Candles began with a simple dream: to create something truly unique.

Before starting the company, Aida and Naji were each pursuing different careers, but they shared a desire to build something together—something creative, something they genuinely enjoyed, and something they could call their own.

Candle making began as a weekend hobby, inspired by their search for the perfect candle they simply couldn’t find in the marketplace. Eventually, they decided to leave their previous careers behind and take a chance on an entirely new path.

With just $5,000 and a vision, they began making candles one by one in the garage of Aida’s parents’ home in Northridge, California. On weekends, they would load up their handmade creations, set up a tent, and sell them at local farmers’ markets and art shows.

The response was incredible. As demand grew, store owners began approaching them and asking if they sold wholesale. At first, Aida and Naji kept saying no—they simply couldn’t imagine that their small garage operation could become a wholesale business.

Then, in 1998, they decided to take another chance.

They reserved a small 8-by-8-foot booth at the California Gift Show and introduced Unique Candles to the wholesale market for the first time. They sold out at the show, marking a turning point for the young company.

That winter, Aida remembers hand-making more than 500 heart-shaped candles for Valentine’s Day to fulfill orders being shipped to stores. From there, the booth grew, the orders grew, and eventually Unique Candles outgrew the family garage and moved into a larger facility.

As the company became known for its creativity and craftsmanship, customers began asking a new question:

“Can you make candles for us?”

That simple question opened the door to private-label and custom manufacturing and ultimately helped shape the company Unique Candles would become.

Rather than relying heavily on advertising, the business grew largely through word of mouth, referrals, relationships, and the trust of its customers. One successful project led naturally to the next.

Over the years, Unique Candles has had the privilege of creating products for more than 3,000 brands, helping bring thousands of ideas, fragrances, and concepts to life.

Yet despite that growth, the heart of the company remains remarkably close to where it began. Every candle is still hand-poured in our Los Angeles facility to this day.

From two people making candles in a family garage with $5,000 and a dream to becoming a trusted manufacturing partner for thousands of brands, Aida and Naji have never lost the creativity, craftsmanship, personal attention, and entrepreneurial spirit that started it all.

It began with a dream to create something unique. Today, we help others do the same.