From the time Emily Warr (‘13) was a little girl, she was curious about how scent could trigger memories and emotions. She took that curiosity with her to the Gary W. Rollins College of Business and completed a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship that was the springboard to co-found The Rustic House in 2013 with her best friend, Chelsea.
Since 2013, through hard work, determination, a love for scents, lessons learned from her time at UTC and many more learned by running a business, The Rustic House products are now available in every state in the U.S. as well as a dozen countries internationally.
“Our nature-inspired candles, diffusers and wax melts are all carefully tested for performance and made with the highest quality ingredients with no dyes or additives,” Emily shared. “They are long-lasting, with a large but balanced scent throw to fill any space and are now available in both our branded and custom options.”
The UTC Alumni team asked Emily a few questions about The Rustic House:
What’s special about The Rustic House?
From the beginning, I always focused on the quality of the ingredients, performance of the product and the experience it gives to each customer. Before learning the candle trade, I fell in love with the power of scent. I focused on creating nature inspired complex fragrances that bring back nostalgic memories and that help to create new ones, such as our Home for the Holidays. We are extremely picky and work closely with our chemists to remove any and all harsh chemicals and known allergens.
And yes, we are women-owned, hand-made in the U.S.A. and care about the planet. But aside from all of these attributes, it is my love for nature and connection through the power of scent that inspires me to share our products with the world.
What did you learn at UTC that helps your business day-to-day?
I focused all of my projects junior and senior year around starting The Rustic House; that helped with the research and development needed prior to starting any business. The connections I made while there with various professors, many of them have helped after I graduated. The experience has helped me learn how to approach challenges with a well-rounded perspective every day.
What’s the one thing you’d recommend as a holiday gift from your business?
That is a hard one; we have so many great scents. Our Signature Scent, Scenic City, is our #1 best seller. If you want to be more festive, I recommend Home for the Holidays or Balsam Fir.
Follow The Rustic House on Socials:
Interested in having your business featured?
Let us know by updating your business information!