Welcome to Sandpiper Drive
I grew up in a small city by the bay. My immigrant family settled in the area because my grandfather, Papa, was a sailor stationed in the city’s now defunct naval base during the Vietnam War.
Sandpiper Drive is an ode to my family and the childhood home that so many memories were made in. It’s remembering parts of my youth that can never be relived again, but can be shared with others much like a written story. It’s honoring those who helped shape me into the person I am today, while creating a path for the person I am helping to shape for tomorrow.
Pioneering Today for Tomorrow
Entrepreneurship runs deep in my blood. After retirement from the Postal Service, Papa became an avid fisherman and sold fresh fish to dozens of customers across several cities. Digging deeper into my family roots still, my great-great-grandfathers on my father’s side both left their native countries, China and the Philippines, to travel to Guam in search of a new opportunity, with one owning a small tenda (store) and the other making handmade habon niyok (coconut soap). Today, it’s only natural that I carry that same spirit in my heart, so that one day perhaps my daughter can continuing carrying it forward for generations to come.
Keeping It Simple
Simply put, I wouldn’t sell a product that I didn’t love or use myself. I have high standards when purchasing products in a big store and I carry those standards into my work. Periodt.
Labels are distracting and I firmly believe a product should speak for itself, therefore I use minimal branding, labelling and packaging. With few exceptions, all of my product containers are clear pre- and post-consumer recycled glass that were sourced second-hand through purchase, or upcycled from donations. The waxes and wicks in each candle are all-natural and sustainable, and organic when available. I don’t use any colorings or dyes so all of my candles retain naturally-occurring creamy shades of white, varying from ivory to a slight pastel yellow (depending on the fragrance oils used during manufacture).
You can rest assured that my products are GMO- and phthalate-free, and are non-toxic when used for their intended purpose.