Little Shops of Joy with Novelly Yours
Celebrating the people behind the shops that bring us joy.
Welcome to my weekly blog series Little Shops of Joy! Every week we’ll dive into an interview with a small business owner to get behind the scenes insight on the lives of the people behind the shops that bring us so much joy.
At no cost to you I may receive a commission for items purchased through links.
Interview with the owner of Novelly Yours
Thanks so much for joining us for a new issue of Little Shops of Joy. I’m thrilled to have you here. I’m so glad I discovered your candles last year while shopping in Powell’s Books and instantly fell in love with your shop! I had an amazing time being a seasonal rep and want to continue to spread the word about your shop.
For readers who may not know about your shop yet, could you introduce yourself
Hi there! My name is Brittany and I am the owner/creator at Novelly Yours. I run the shop along with my husband, Shane, and we’re just a two-person small business in the suburbs of Chicago, IL.
Novelly Yours started in my kitchen in 2015 after I decided to make candles inspired by some of my favorite books. I opened an Etsy shop so I could share the candles with my blogging friends and the whole thing took off from there! We’ve now been in business for 10 years and have expanded our bookish candle line and added other scented candle themes, stickers, wooden bookmarks, and reading journals including our best-selling Reading Tracker.
We’ve been lucky to work with so many subscription boxes over the years as well as publishers, authors, and our candles and other items are currently stocked in over 200 indie shops across the United States. Our Reading Tracker is a best seller for us, selling thousands of books last year and even went viral on TikTok!
On inspiration behind the products
What has been the most rewarding part of your journey as a small business owner so far? Are there any aspects of the industry that has surprised you?
It’s incredibly rewarding to see your creations in the hands of others and in stores across the country! Being such a small shop, employee-wise, it’s really cool to see how big of a reach your creations have. I’ve definitely grown so much over the years, as a person and as a business owner. There are always challenges and new things that come up every year, every month, every week, so it’s always interesting to see what we’ve done to adapt and change to continue growing with the business.
How do you balance your business with the other demands of life?
It’s kind of hard to balance, to be honest! I wear about 50 hats for the business so I’m pretty much always connected: responding to emails after hours, posting and replying on social media, working on the weekends when rushes demand it. But it is something I truly love, so that’s not a complaint! We also make sure we take time for ourselves. I like to disconnect from my phone when we’re watching movies or TV shows at home. I make sure I’m present for friends & family. The business never sleeps, so when you’re a small shop, sometimes it can be hard to really let yourself disconnect!
Can you share a bit about your creative process or routine? Do you have any rituals that help you get into a creative mood or anything special you do to find inspiration for new scents?
I’m kind of a chaotic creator 😂 Usually new ideas will pop in my head and I go make a note in my Notes app with some general ideas of what I want. It can be a new scent combination that I think might be great, or the overall concept for a candle scent, or inspiration from something I’m watching or reading. Other times I’ll go in with a specific intention, like adding a new fall/winter scent to our line-up and then I’ll browse all of the scents we have and see what I think might fit that name or concept.
Getting to know more
Where are some of your favorite places to read, browse for books, or find inspiration?
I’m obsessed with audiobooks, so I read anywhere, anytime! I always have an audiobook in my ears whenever I have a moment alone, whether that’s working in the shop pouring candles, cleaning up at home, getting ready for the day, driving, or any other time I can sneak some reading time in!
What’s a compliment you always enjoy receiving?
It’s always SO neat to receive compliments about a candle or book journal. It never gets old to hear that something I made is someone’s favorite thing, and that’s a pretty amazing thing to hear! I love being able to make someone else’s day just a little bit better, even in a small way.
How do you cheer yourself up after a difficult day?
A combination of little treats and distracting myself with entertainment usually does the trick. I let myself indulge in a coffee or a dessert, or buy myself a new book, and get lost in a TV show or audiobook. Sometimes I just need to let myself forget about it and pick myself up in a different way!
More about the shop
If a reader hasn’t discovered your shop yet, what would you recommend they check out first? Do you have a favorite candle or product that you’ve made?
Also a hard question because I love recommending by scent preferences! But our best sellers are always a great place to start: Plot Twist, Book Club, Currently Reading, Reading Nook. If you like romances, we have Romance Reader, Spicy Romance, and Smutty Books. And of course, I can’t recommend the Reading Tracker enough!
Do you have any upcoming events that you’ll be attending as a vendor? And do you carry your products in any physical shops where we can find your items in person?
We’re really not doing a lot of in-person events anymore, unfortunately. The booth fees + cost of getting candles to vendor events can be really large so it’s not always in our best interests to travel and do shows! We DO have lots of candles in bookstores and other Indies, though, so be sure to check out our Stockist List or send me an email any time to check and see if a store stocks anything near you!
For those shopping for holiday gifts, what’s your recommended cut off date for placing orders in your shop? And are there any discount codes they can use?
The holiday shipping can get a little delayed with all of the holiday rush so I usually recommend getting your order in by early December! I’d say around the 10th-15th if you’re aiming to have things by Christmas. I don’t personally have a cut-off date because we’ll fill orders as quickly and ship as quickly as possible during the holidays, but I just can’t make guarantees how quickly the carriers can deliver them! We will have a Black Friday / holiday sale sometime in November so be sure to keep us mind!
Favorites and fun tidbits
I’d love to ask you for some book recommendations. What’s a book you find yourself recommending again and again?
This is always such a hard question because I always like recommending to a person’s specific tastes! If you enjoy romances, Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez. Project Hail Mary is a great all-around read (and listen to it as an audiobook!). When I Was You by Amber Garza is an underrated thriller!
Thank you so much for joining us!
Other links
Socials: @novellyyours on all platforms (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, Threads)
If you enjoyed reading about this week’s featured shop, you can support me by… leaving a comment below, upgrading (or gifting) a paid subscription, sharing a note on Substack, or sharing your favorite bits on Instagram and tag @TheJoyfulBookBlogger
With joy from the stacks
