Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Venza.
Hi Madison, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thank you for inviting me. My name is Madison Venza and I am a Certified Professional Aromatherapist and founder of Tooth of a Cat Apothecary.
A love of both literature and cooking inspired me on this path. Like a lot of other children, I loved scratch-and-sniff books. I vividly remember scratching the pictures to smell strawberries, gingerbread cookies, and fresh-baked bread in the pages of my childhood storybooks. When I went to college, I studied English and I found myself imagining the types of smells present in different works of literature, but the pages no longer smelled like the story, instead they smelled old and dusty like the library, which was pleasant in its own way. I have always been fascinated by the power of scent and the relationships between smell, memory, and emotion. When I started making aromatherapy products, I wanted to bring these fictional places to life by creating an aromatherapy line inspired by fantasy, fiction, and folklore.
Cooking has also been an inspiration for me. My grandmother was an amazing cook and she taught me how to make Sicilian food. I remember standing over a pot of Sunday spaghetti, marveling at the smell of spices drifting around me as I stirred the pot and listened to the laughter and stories being told in the background. Today when I make the same dish for my family, it brings me back to that time long ago and I can remember all the good times with my large Italian family. The way different scents work together to impact our mood is what sparked my interest in aromatherapy. I founded Tooth of a Cat Apothecary in 2019 after 18 months of classes and finally graduating as a professional certified aromatherapist certified by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA).
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It is a challenge to juggle my career, family, and small business. Anyone that has tried to start their own business knows how much time, effort, and expense are involved. There are many times when you wonder if it’s worth it, or you are filled with self-doubt, but I try and channel those emotions into creating something new and positive for myself and others to enjoy.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We specialize in original, aromatherapy products including candles, wax melts, swirled soaps, molded soaps, body scrubs, balms, lotions, and room sprays as well as custom work. I am most known for my aromatherapy candles, molded soaps, and wax melts. People love to connect with their favorite works of fiction with our literary-inspired candles and wax melts. Our molded soaps also get a lot of attention for their artistic value as well as high quality. One thing that sets us apart from other big stores is that all our candles and wax melts are handmade in small batches from 100 percent soy wax. I was surprised to learn when I started in this industry how many unhealthy chemicals are in so many commercial candles and wax melts. All our products are free from phthalates and paraffins and made with natural, high-quality ingredients that are sourced from across the globe. People can feel good about using them in their homes.
What are your plans for the future?
We have been bringing our collection to different markets in the Austin area and now have a collection of our products featured in the ArtUs Co store in the Arboretum. We are looking forward to continued growth with both an in-person presence and through our website and Etsy shop.
Contact Info:
- Email: Toothofacat@gmail.com
- Website: https://toothofacat.com/
- Instagram: @toothofacat
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toothofacat/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/toothofacat
Image Credits
All Product photos taken by Simone Rae Photography/2021/ https://www.simoneraephotography.com/ Products Pictured: Alice in Wonderland Inspired Candle Set Big Foot Oatmeal and Shea Butter Soap Dragon’s Egg Soaps Plague Doctor Oatmeal and Shea Butter Soap Pumpkin Wax Melts Vampire Goat’s Milk Soap
