Hey there, I’m Jenni!
Most days you can find me journaling on my couch sipping coffee, snuggling up with my boys or dogs or cats, or pouring candles in my workshop.
I am mostly known for smiling, laughing, squeeze hugging you so tight your ribs crack, and giving bird funerals.
People often refer to me as J(ay)Z, or the girl that loves 90s boy bands. I’m down with that.
I love serving the world by championing children and youth, and finding magic & beauty in everything.
The things I am most passionate about in life are:
- namaste (the Light in me sees the Light in you)
- we all belong; we’re all in this together
- LOVE be my everything
In December 2016 my friend looked over at a Christmas vignette I made in my living room and said, “Can you make me that? I’ll pay you.”
That tossed around in my head for days and the idea for Illuminate Space was born. Fun Fact: I first was going to call it “Vignettes in a Box.” LOL. For the next year, I scoured thrift and craft stores for everyday items I could re-purpose into home decor. I opened an Etsy shop and was thrilled when my first vignette sold!
In August 2017 I thought, “I wonder if I could make a candle to go with this vignette?” A lot of people tell me they’ve given up on candles because they give them headaches. In my research I discovered a lot of candles are made with phthalates- a cheap filler that is also used to make plastics. This is the number one cause for headaches and nausea with fragrance. So I sought out companies that make oils safe for candle burning and that were completely phthalate free. AND free of any harmful ingredients on the Prop 65 list. So not only are you getting a clean burn, longer lasting soy candle…but it also isn’t going to make you feel bad.
My candle sales exploded, so I moved off of Etsy and started my own website. I did once a month open houses at my home and offered free local porch pickup. I still enjoyed making decor, but I followed what the customer wanted and dove into the world of candle making.
In June 2020, smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic, my friend and fellow maker, Real Happy Space, decided to open a brick and mortar shop together. Light (me) & Pine (her) Collective was born! We were one of the first Batavia Boardwalk Shops, a small business incubator program, that year. Light & Pine Collective not only features our handmade goods, but also 20+ other local women owned businesses. After our season ended at the Batavia Boardwalk Shops, we opened a permanent home in downtown Batavia called Wilson Street Mercantile. It is now home to several woman-owned small businesses in Batavia, IL.
In June 2021 my sister (who is also a small business owner) and I created Small Business Sisters Podcast. We share in real time what it’s like to build our business on our weekly podcast and highlight other women small business owners. We never want you do to small business life alone; we are better together!
I’ve also discovered people love to create their own custom scents that are attached to memories and feelings. So in 2022 I developed “Pour Parties.” Groups and friends can create candles together in a private after-hours workshop environment. They bring their own food and beverages and make a night out of it! That went really well, so I started offering and “Traveling Pour Parties” where I take the candle-making experience into people’s events and homes.
AND THEN… 2024 was a BIG year.
I launched Tilly, my mobile vintage camper candle bar. She’s been taking the candle-making experience to the next level at events, weddings, and markets.
I stepped down as co-owner of Light & Pine Collective to focus on growing Illuminate Space, but I’m still an artisan there and have expanded my booth space!
I also expanded my presence to Hudson Design House in Oswego and added wholesale accounts across the United States!
In 2025, another big dream came to life—I opened my very own candle warehouse in Geneva, Illinois! It’s where all the magic happens now: pouring candles, hosting private pour parties, and parking Tilly right inside for year-round events.
What’s next? Who knows? But I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
I create products for people who desire to create a space they love to be in. I do this holistically through engaging the five senses. Vessels that inspires beauty and creativity, scents that trigger memories and emotions and healing, and light–that well, brings light! I am lucky to remind them that beauty is there and doesn’t have to be super expensive to illuminate.
If you’re dying to hear more, here are five six (because I couldn’t narrow it down) things you might not know about me:
- I have 95% hearing loss in my left ear.
- I am deeply introverted, but love to make people feel loved, so those things are often in tension with each other.
- I identify as an enneagram 6 wholly and completely (but sometimes I wonder if I’m a 4?!? I love to be in my feelings and a little different than the norm.)
- I am constantly learning to navigate life with anxiety. Sometimes that means therapy and/or meds.
- I’m pretty sure I could survive on nachos (the pile high kind, not the stadium kind) and red wine.
- I wish life was one giant musical and we could sing and dance our response to everything. I secretly wish I had been in a glee club and pursued a career in music and dance.
Still here? Let’s connect! Sign up below to get regular updates on my business, my life, and my person! Or send me a note at jenni@illuminate-space.com
Lots of love to you!
xo Jenni