Mother-Son Duo Runs Candle Business
Margaret Pappas and Dylan Kostantinos work together to run Anesti Home, where they both utilize their artistic talents.
Photo from Neos Kosmos, courtesy of Pappas.
In the beginning of 2020, Margaret Pappas established her candle business, entering the market with a special partner: her 8-year-old son with autism.
Originally, Pappa made her candles as a hobby that also served as an escape from her daily stress. When her son, Dylan Kostantinos, started joining her during her art sessions, they turned into opportunities for “mummy-Dylan time.”
Pappas began selling her candles to friends and family members in order to help fund her son’s medical expenses, and her creations are now available on her website, Anesti Home. She left her job to commit herself to caring for Dylan, who requires significant support, especially with the added disruptions brought on by COVID-19. Now, she hopes to earn enough money through Anesti Home to introduce occupational therapy, feeding therapy and a social skills group to Dylan’s schedule.
Dylan has contributed significantly to the business, proving himself to be a talented business partner to his mother. With sensitivities to certain fragrances, he selected 10 scents from a perfumer that did not cause him discomfort. Pappas enthusiastically approved of his decisions: “His choices are just lovely,” she told Neos Kosmos.
In addition to assisting with the candle fragrances, Dylan also contributed artistically to Anesti Home’s packaging.
“Dylan loves to paint,” said Pappas. “Whilst he was painting I asked him to paint something that describes his feelings when he makes candles with mummy.” He produced a rainbow and a little dog, which became an integral part of the company’s design.
Sets of tealight candles are part of Anesti Home’s Happy Collection, whose packaging was designed by Dylan.
Photo from anestihome.com.au.
Throughout this process, Dylan regained a lot of self-confidence, which he had lost while struggling in school prior to receiving his diagnosis.
“Before then [the diagnosis] everything was a battle, even just getting him support at school,” said Pappas, relating a story familiar to many parents of children on the spectrum. “Once we had the assessment, everything made sense. We needed to change the way we approached him and tailor our lives to make his life more comfortable and more harmonious.”
Creating designs for Anesti Home has been an excellent outlet for Dylan to explore his imagination and exercise his creativity; according to their website, this has “restored belief in himself, that he can do all things with love, guidance and patience.”
The duo donates 10 percent of their proceeds from Anesti Home to a variety of organizations focused on mental health and autism. “I just want to create some more awareness around autism,” said Pappas.