Our Story

Hey there, we’re Brad & Cat, the hearts and brains behind Ambush Candle Company. Everything we’ve created seems to have stemmed from our spontaneous Grand Canyon road trip in 2018. We craved creative freedom, a sense of purpose, and a meaningful focus to channel our efforts. With backgrounds in home fragrance, graphic design, and retail, we teamed up to develop an American brand, hand-crafting useful products that are enjoyable, eco-friendly, and thoughtfully designed.

People sometimes ask about how we chose our name, "Ambush Candle Company." A group of tigers is referred to as an "Ambush". We chose this name because we wanted something fierce, a name that was easy to remember but packed a punch.

Circa 2018: The Grand Canyon roadtrip that started it all.

Originally from the Chicago area, we moved to Traverse City, Michigan in 2019, where we’re currently headquartered. We started from the ground up and bounced between several small workspaces and studios before moving into our current facility in the summer of 2023. For 5 years, we owned an operated a boutique in downtown Traverse City. Our store, Compass Rose Outpost, was a curated artisan boutique and played a key role in developing a customer base for our candles, along with fostering many great community relationships and friendships.