Story by Reagan Scott
WAHOO (SNR) – As families around the world have had to make the shift to working remotely, the Ostgrens have continued to run their business, the Sword & Crown Candle Co. from their home, celebrating one year of business in the midst of pandemic.
The couple sells soy wax container candles with words of encouragement from the saints on them. Even in all of the uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, it is the couple’s hope that their candles can give people the hope and encouragement that they need during these times.
Katie and Matt Ostgren are Nebraska natives and members of St. Wenceslaus Parish in Wahoo. Both attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and would later meet after Katie had spent two years as a FOCUS missionary and Matt left the seminary after discerning that he wasn’t being called to the priesthood.
Now the couple has three children, ages 5, 4 and 2 while they run their business, which they once envisioned being no more than a small hobby.
Ostgren, a stay-at-home mom, had been searching for something she could do while still maintaining her presence in her home. A lover of decorating with quotes, she noted that eventually, one can quickly run out of places to hang them on the walls.
One night as she was washing dishes, Ostgren looked at a candle she liked to light and thought, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could have a quote on a candle?” And she decided to do just that.
The couple didn’t have any experience making candles, so they had to learn from scratch. Ostgren said that it took them a lot of practice, but they wanted to make sure that the candles performed well and that they would be safe for people’s homes.
They made the decision to use soy wax made from U.S.-grown soybeans since the soybean industry is so important to Nebraska. The candles are poured in batches of eight and hand-numbered. Each candle’s fragrance ties in with the saint or quote on the candle and includes a story that reflects on the saint’s life.
“When someone smells the candle or sees the quote, we want them to be drawn out of the day-to-day,” Ostgren said.
When they first got started last year, the couple purchased enough supplies for 100 candles. Their goal was to sell that number by October last year, but they ended up selling 1,000. To date, they’ve sold almost 2,500 candles in 44 states.
While their candles are available for purchase at Gloria Deo stores in Lincoln and Omaha, the majority of sales come from online orders through their shop on Etsy. Ostgren estimated that 80 to 85 percent of their sales go out of state, and said they are purchased by Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
“Our goal is to help people realize that the saints are real people, and that they’re praying for you. I think we’ve reached a lot of people who didn’t think about the saints in a relatable way,” Ostgren said.
Ostgren said the hardest part of getting started for her was choosing a name for the company. One day, her oldest children were playing when her son said something about his sword, and her daughter was talking about her crown.
In considering using the sword and crown in her company name, Ostgren reflected on the wounds of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, images which she has placed on her desk.
In reflecting on the two wounds of the heart, she thought of the wounds that pierce the heart like a sword, and the crown of thorns as those hurts that don’t pierce the heart deeply, but the daily struggles that everyone experiences. It is her hope that their candles can do something to help ease both wounds.
As the company has grown, Ostgren said the business has become a full-time job for her. She and her husband make the candles in their basement once he’s home from work and the kids are in bed, although the kids try to help when they can.
After the busyness of the Christmas season, the couple took an intentional break, but have been just as busy now as they prepared for Mother’s Day and see increased orders in this time of pandemic.
Ostgren said, “People are really searching for that hope and that encouragement, and we hope they’re able to find that with our candles.”
