Meet Travis York - The Strange Gent
An interview by CanvasRebel. Click to read the interview on their site.
We were lucky to catch up with Travis York recently and have shared our conversation below.
Travis , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
First off, thank you so much for asking me to do this and I’m sorry about the long, long delay in responding! The older I get, the harder a time I have talking about myself, because our rabid online existence has made me feel like Melville’s Bartleby, in that “I would prefer not to.” It makes me feel bad, so I don’t engage. (I will now try to answer your question. What was your question?)
The three things I know for stone cold certainty that I do differently from the industry norm, as much out of necessity as plain old stubbornness, (besides the idea that each scent I create is a personification of a person/place/time in my life, which is already unusual in the chandler world,) is that I handcraft, create, and make everything myself. This is definitely not industry standard. I was amazed to learn upon entering this world just how little actual scent designing/candle making/pouring is done by the people who have brands. I’m from the theatre world, which is nothing if not a handmade, built from the ground-up, all hands on deck kind of endeavor. In a way, I guess, my ignorance paid off because if I had known then what I know now, I might not have ever tried. I don’t understand why you would do it any other way. Candles are such a niche thing, that you have to put your personal stamp on it, I think. That’s the only way you’ll truly stand out, for better or worse. We aren’t making soda or underwear. We are creating a physical embodiment of an experience.
Another thing that I differ on from the industry standard, and I feel very, very strongly about, is that I will not “dupe” scents from other makers. It’s an accepted practice, and to the best of my knowledge, I avoid it at all costs. If you want a certain scent that one of the bigger houses make, buy it. Scents aren’t by any means copyrightable, but recreating someone else’s work makes you no better than Amazon. That doesn’t mean I’m not inspired by other scents, but if i smell something that moves me, I want to put my own spin on it. I can’t be Tom Ford, so I won’t try. I can create my own take on an idea, though, just like the best rock music is in conversation with what came before it.
My last, and probably strongest held belief that is different from most, is that I believe there is enough pie to go around for everyone to get a slice. By that, I mean that this industry is strong enough to support anyone who wants to try. When I started out, I reached out to some pretty well known brands asking fairly innocuous questions about basic stuff, and was met with a rudeness and snark that I couldn’t abide. My bugaboo is entitlement. I come from a blue collar background and nothing sets me off quicker than that. No one is better than anyone else. Why not help others if you can, and if you can’t, don’t be a dick about it. That’s why any time I get asked for advice, I will give anyone all the help I can, from the basics of wax types or oils, all the way up to making introductions. People tend to generally pretty cagey in this industry, and it bothers me. I know it’s just business, but for me, it’s personal. (The only thing I don’t give out are my recipes, because, seriously, get your own.)
Did I answer this?
Travis , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Strange Gent was born from necessity. I was in a low place with my creative endeavors, and I get itchy if I’m not working on something that gives me some kind of meaning, whether it be artistic or societal. Originally I learned candle making from another local maker, just to make some gifts for my Mom and girlfriend (two different people, to be clear.) They were hits, so much so that my creations were used without my knowledge and sold without my knowledge by said candle maker. I was devastated and moved on. It took convincing from a close friend to go ahead and open my own label, with my own ideas and own outlook. As a frustrated, chronically underemployed actor and writer, I wanted to use this space as a way to tell stories with our most powerful sense: Scent. Just like a long unheard piece of music, scent can instantly take us back to a specific time/place/setting/person that means something significant to our subconscious. My hope was that my candles could recreate places/people/times in my life that meant the most to me, and in that way, they would become meaningful to others, just like certain beloved pieces of art do to me.
As much as the idea of Strange Gent is me relating my backstory to people’s noses, Strange Gent is a character I created to distance myself from the candles. Strange Gent is the wise bartender you meet at a dive bar, a broke down guitarist you encounter on the subway platform, someone you meet in line to vote. A griot, as my old poetry mentor used to say. A story teller. Someone who tells you about themselves, so that in a roundabout way you learn about yourself. Each candle I create is rooted in a story, and each ingredient is vital to it’s telling. It’s got the heroine, the villain, and the court jester in there. Every candle I make has the same attention to detail and quality scent and burn whether it’s the first one I make or the 100th of the day. I’m very proud that everything I make is something wholly of my imagination and need to tell a story, and comes straight from my hands. I long to be more financially successful, but if I can’t do it this way, all handmade and meticulously created, then I don’t feel right about it.
I also do a lot of custom, or white label jobs, and am proud to have made candles for numerous weddings, CNN, shows on Netflix, spas, and close friends theatre productions. I am not above being a hired hand. I do this for the love, but lord do I need the money.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Recently, I was approached by investors, who wanted to buy in to the business because they loved the product. Of course I was gobsmacked and excited at this prospect! But upon close scrutiny of their contract, I realized that this was not a good fit for me. They wanted to change too much of the brand to a point where I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with my name on it. The money would have been a godsend, as I am constantly scrambling to keep the business afloat. But there are certain things I am not willing to compromise on. The brand is the brand. I’d love to find an investor who shared or got my vision, but I can’t do what I don’t feel comfortable with.
Money is always hard to walk away from, and I know we can all understand this.
But I’m pretty proud of myself for listening to my gut. I’m still struggling, but I’m struggling my way.
(That said, anyone want to invest?)
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
The only e-commerce site I use is Faire because it puts you in touch with actual brick and mortar stores, which is what I need.. I have a healthy distrust of corporate platforms like Amazon and Etsy. The fine print will make your hair fall out.
Contact Info:
Instagram: strangegentcandles
Facebook: strangegentcandles
Other: TikTok: strangegentcandles
