Pepper Street Studio

Pepper Street Studio, based in Naples, was created when owner Brandi Woolington couldn’t find candles she liked.

“I’d bring a candle home, light it, and get a headache right away,” she said. “I did some research and figured out it was the toxins in them that bother many people.”

So, she launched Pepper Street Studio to feature her organic, handmade, non-toxic diffusers and candles, a business that has recently expanded into Idaho and other western states.

And her business has a heartfelt purpose.

“My daughter was diagnosed with Rett syndrome when she was five, and I had to figure out a way to take care of her financially for the future,” Woolington said. That effort has turned into a recently launched nonprofit called Sophie’s Place.

“It will essentially be a day respite home able to employ higher-functioning young adults to give them a more meaningful life,” she said.