Our Team

Marlene

Marlene has a love for God, family, and people (young & old), and finds much joy in helping others. Her personal motto that she holds dear is “Do what you do with a happy heart”. She believes in making everyone feel like they are someone. When you walk into Urban Wick Candle Bar, she hopes all of her guests feel the warmth and coziness of her heart. Welcoming all her guests like they are visitors in her home.

She also has a strong work ethic centered around loyalty, honesty, commitment, and reliability.

Marlene is not afraid of hard work. Whether she was involved with school activities, strengthening her softball skills by practicing in her backyard for hours with her dad, babysitting, or biking to a local restaurant where she had her first job as a busser, she was always busy. If you ask her, she will say “I’m not one to sit around”.

Marlene has been married to the love of her life for 34 years. Together they have raised three wonderful children. She had a career she loved in the dental profession and continued to work after having their first child. When their second child, Elise, was born, they decided that Marlene should do what she always dreamed of doing, and that was being a stay-at-home mom. She loved that career most of all!

As her children started attending school, Marlene began volunteering wherever help was needed. All the little things lead up to a few big things. She chaired three big fundraising events and then developed and implemented a volunteer program which she oversaw as the coordinator for several years, even after all her children graduated.

One day Marlene decided it was time to hang up her volunteer coordinator work to focus on another passion of hers, candle making and nicely scented spaces. She had a desire to share her love of candle making and nicely scented spaces with others. After a year of research, studying logistics, finding reputable suppliers, the perfect location, and a business partner, her dream of becoming a small family business owner became a reality. Having her daughter as her business partner was the icing on the cake!

Marlene & Elise did not plan on opening their small business during the pandemic (July 2020), but despite the early challenges, they continued with their vision, and Urban Wick Candle Bar became a reality.

Elise

Elise, with her spontaneous personality and love of life, believes that joy and happiness can be found in the simplicity of everyday moments. At Urban Wick Candle Bar, she strives to make every customer feel like they’re the most important person in the room.

She holds a bachelor's degree in Communication and Public Relations, along with a Master's degree in Strategic Communication and Marketing. Elise has always been a go-getter and puts everything she has into her work in order to achieve the best results. Whether that entailed sitting up until midnight finishing math homework in middle school or enduring late-night research for clients in past jobs. Elise is always putting in 110%.

Elise was in the midst of her professional career when a global pandemic swept the nation. Thankfully, working remotely was something that came easily. Until one day, Elise realized that the line of work she was in was no longer fulfilling. She knew that there was something else out there for her that would motivate her in ways she never could have imagined.

Fast forward three years, and she will tell you that that was the best decision she could have ever made. Not only is she her own boss, but she gets to call her business partner Mom as well.