The brand was a gift in and of itself.
It started more than 20 years ago as Xela Aroma, a luxury candle and diffuser company founded by the late Maryann Mihalopoulos, a longtime Dallas attorney and philanthropist.
A year after Mihalopoulos died in October 2020, her husband, Frank, gifted the business to the Austin Street Center — a deep-rooted nonprofit that provides shelter and services to people experiencing homelessness.
Now rebranded as Austin Street Home, the products serve as the agency’s first social enterprise.
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“Knowing that 100% of the proceeds will go back to supporting the mission, to helping people transition toward finding stability in a home, it’s just such a great way to feel good about your purchase,” said Nakita Johnson, who leads Austin Street Home’s retail strategy and sales.
Through her consulting firm, The Gem Factor, Johnson brings decades of experience in premium and luxury retail to the project, she said, having worked with brands like Neiman Marcus and The North Face.
“It seemed like a great opportunity, and synergy, for me to pursue, working with mission-driven organizations to create sustainable impact,” Johnson said.
Local businesses, of course, require a different approach. But Johnson believes that for either to succeed, the goal is the same: designing a quality product.
For Austin Street Home, that means the candles are made of high-quality ingredients, including a soy wax blend, lead-free cotton wicks, natural fragrances and essential oils. The candles are also made locally, hand-poured at the shelter’s South Dallas campus.
“The beauty is, this was its own viable business before it was gifted to Austin Street Center,” Johnson said. “So there’s no compromising on the quality of what the product is.”
Austin Street Home products are made of high-quality ingredients, including a soy wax blend, all-natural cotton wicks, natural fragrances and essential oils.
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The candles and diffusers come in a variety of scents, categorized in collections called “classic,” “luxury” and “zen.” There are also seasonal candles on a rotating basis, like this year’s “dulce pumpkin” and “twisted holiday coffee.” They range in size from 3 ounces to 100 ounces, spanning from $9 to $120.
In addition to online orders directly from Austin Street Home, the line can also be found in businesses and pop-ups across the city.
The 14-ounce candles are currently displayed at the entrance of Ruthie’s Cafe on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, what Johnson called “the perfect partnership.”
As part of The Good Foundation, Ruthie’s is a social impact initiative that aims to provide food and employment opportunities to underserved communities, including those transitioning out of the justice system. All of their net proceeds go to the St. Philip’s School and Community Center.
“What Ruthie’s is doing is a great example of what collaboration in the community can look like,” Johnson said. “I think it provides more visibility and trust.”
Johnson’s goal for the year ahead is take that visibility a step further, forging more relationships between Austin Street Home and corporations that can help elevate the mission.
“It’s about building and empowering a collective community,” she said. “And in turn, that fosters the greater ecosystem, of doing good in general.”