By now you have learned a lot about Eric Petersen so you might be getting a sense of how he is the kind of person you just want to have in your circle of colleagues and friends. He stays true to himself in all endeavors and inspires that in others. Read below on what inspired this established goldsmith to try to develop a scented candle!
With skateboarding being his first true love, part of his backpack arsenal always included a candle for the purpose of waxing ledges to perform tricks on, so developing a candle seemed totally on brand.
Years later he would accidentally light himself on fire when the button-down Yves Saint Laurent shirt he was wearing dangled into a candle at the home of his high school sweetheart. Never had he imagined that he would someday have to utilize the lesson he learned way back in grade school – to stop, drop and roll. Miraculously, an undershirt spared his back from serious burns. And so it was written…
Petersen’s origins however, which are deeply rooted in this candle, are in actual flames. And that statement is as dramatic as it sounds. In the early 1970s, Petersen’s father tragically lost his first wife and three baby girls in a house-fire. This has haunted and helped Petersen for his entire life because believing that everything happens for a reason, he often reflects on the fact that had that tragedy not occurred, his father might not have met his mother, and he and his sisters might not be here at all.
When Petersen was faced with his own tragic circumstances to work through, namely the death of numerous friends in a relatively short period of time, the thought of his half-sisters and the belief that everything happens for a reason was a guide and source of comfort for him through the grieving process.
Developing his signature scented candle Campfire Kiss was a labour of love for Petersen. It became, and is, a beacon of light, a ray of hope, in honour of the lives that were lost, and the lives that were gained. It’s a tribute to love and lost love, the eternal flames that burn inside and define us.
You don’t need to know the entire history of why candles appeal to Eric to appreciate what they represent to many- a quiet and cozy night in, a loving embrace of a partner, cuddling with a pet, reading a book, or a time for reflective solitude. All of these moments pair perfectly with the great Canadian of making your way out of the city to enjoy the stars surround by nature. In times of uncertainty we all gravitate towards nostalgia and the feelings that can be evoked through scent are some of the strongest. Eric often retreats into his own nostalgia for the wilderness and smoke-kissed clothing which explain how he arrived at his signature candle. Campfire Kiss evokes that shared Canadian nostalgia we all long for when bogged down in regular life.
