Meet Abigail Forgath of Consonance in Manitou Springs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Forgath.

Abigail, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Consonance started almost immediately. I worked for the last five years in specialty coffee and then one-day last year, I woke up and decided to quit my job. Albeit stressful, it was the best thing I could have done in terms of opening up new opportunities. I suddenly had a chunk of time for the first time in a long time and began to think about some of the ideas that were sitting in my mind that I hoped to bring to life at some point. I had started making candles years ago – every once in a while for some friends and family – nothing serious. At some point in the future, I was hoping to launch a candle brand. I wanted to create a candle that was gentle enough that everyone can enjoy it. Crisp and modern in terms of design, and unique in terms of fragrance. I knew I wouldn’t have time like this open again for a while, so I thought, why not now?

I gave myself three weeks to pull everything (literally, everything) together and by the start of November last year I had my candles in boutiques and galleries in the Springs. My goal was to get out there for the holidays and see what kind of response my work would receive. As of now, Consonance is my before work/after work, and weekend hustle! I primarily wholesale in addition to attending some markets and pop-ups. I also host a new monthly marketplace called OLIO along with my good friend and legendary barista Charlie Claus. We are a curated market highlighting an intimate collection of handmade, vintage, and artists from around Colorado.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s so tough! I started without any kind of investment and little to none resources. Starting without having much to go on feels like playing catch up for a while. It was a very quick lesson in resourcefulness and creativity. Running my own business can feel really isolating at times and to me, it feels like this strange combo of amazement that I get to do this on an ongoing basis, and a feeling like I missed the mark and nothing is working out. It’s really a day by day thing. A lot of aspects of my business are built to be different, to be unique, and to grow into their own over time. Even when you know that the route you’ve chosen is something you want to continue to work toward, it can be hard to counteract the feelings of doubt. especially when things aren’t moving as quickly as you’d hope or in the way you’d expect. I’ve worked on growing more slowly and more intentionally because I didn’t start out with many resources for this project, and because I want to create something that is sustainable.

I try not to take it too seriously and work to step away from it. There have also been a few really incredible creators that I’ve gotten to have some chats with that have helped with that feeling of doing it alone. I’m realizing how impact it is when people support me, even in tiny ways, makes me realize how much I can do by supporting others.

Sometimes it feels crazy that I launched an idea in such a short time frame, but then people who knew me from a year ago at a different job will see me with Consonance and be amazed that I am out here doing it. So many people have ideas and dreams that they have waited to launch until everything is in order, everything feels right, and I’m glad I didn’t wait any longer. Sure, there are a million things about Consonance that I want to adjust and change as I move forward, but I can truly always improve. The important thing is I feel good about what I am making – I know what Consonance is and I’m excited to share it with others.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Consonance – what should we know?
What I’ve created with Consonance are small collections of modern and well-made candles with a focus on ingredients and well developed fragrances. I release four candles at a time to allow for ultimate creativity. This is a rather unconventional approach, but it allows me to move beyond set offerings each year. It allows me to do what I really love, which is create new and unique fragrances on an ongoing basis. My candles are made with beeswax and coconut wax, essential and fragrance oils, and a really environmentally friendly wick – hemp! All of my recyclable packaging is made with vegetable inks and post consumer materials. Sourcing is really important to me and I believe the quality of my ingredients shows up in the aroma and performance of my candles. In terms of fragrance, I create gentle blends and work for them to be complex, well balanced, and memorable.

My candles are definitely known for their design and for their unique fragrances. People always ask me who did my branding, and they remark how creative the scents are. Not a lot of candle brands look like mine, and my scents have been so unique because I shy away from using what trends within the candle world. I use lesser known herbs and flowers and shy away from really over harvested fragrances.

I’m really proud of the time and effort I’ve spent on finding ingredients I really feel good about using. The deeper I get into the candle industry, I realize how much companies rely on “buzzwords” these days – natural, earth friendly, pure, sustainable. People have such different understandings and beliefs about what those words should encompass and to me, it seems to be that those terms don’t really affect their product or sourcing. I have really specific reasons why I use each ingredient and everyone who has followed my work from the beginning has definitely stuck with it because those things matter to them. That mindfulness is always going to be a pillar of what I do and sets Consonance apart.

Consonance is completely DIY – all of the packagings were designed by me, I pour every candle, label every box, it’s all a huge endeavor. I’m proud of what I’ve created, it feels really good to put my name on something like this.

What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
In 2020 you’ll find all of my candles in my own handmade ceramic containers. I’m really excited to launch these as to add some more dimension to my brand and have even more of that handmade aspect. My third collection comes out this Fall, and by the very nature of Consonance, there will always be more to look forward to in future collections.