Our Story

Thank you for finding Stowsmiths and welcome.

Situated in the market town of Chipping Norton on the northern tip of the Cotswolds, Stowsmiths is a small candle studio run by me, Katie Smith.

Originally from Derbyshire, I moved to London to work for an American literary agent in 2000 and stayed in the city for 20 years working in the book publishing industry. Working in such a creative field sparked my love of gardening, cooking, craft, and interiors. Having embarked on a horticultural course part time and not quite having a garden in London big enough to grow lots of things, my love of all things botanical evolved into soap and candle making. I was possibly influenced by the first Christmas gift I received at the agency I worked for on arrival into London all those years ago. It was a beautiful bath oil from Provence with a hand written label: a small batch product produced with care. 

Stowsmiths started in Walthamstow, east London, as a creative outlet, but grew into a business after I moved to the Cotswolds to raise my family.

Four years on from my first Christmas market in Chipping Norton we are growing and evolving slowly and with purpose. In 2024 Stowsmiths joined the No. 31 collective which is a bricks and mortar shop on beautiful Burford High St that houses 12 other local businesses. We have supplied local shops and luxury hotels with candles and taken part in markets both big and small from village fetes to events at Soho Farmhouse. 

Thank you for finding Stowsmiths, and I hope you enjoy your products as much as we enjoy making them. 

Katie Smith