The life of a candle shop owner means your trash never smells bad.
“I mean literally, it never stinks,” says Jill Bromley-Sung, owner of Wax Poetic Candle Bar, who also comes away smelling pretty nice herself. “I constantly smell good, but nobody can tell what I smell like—it’s a combination of everything.”
And combinations are key—especially when it comes to fragrances. “I invited my friends over to make candles and the experience of the evening was so much fun and so different from anything we had done or anything that was out there,” said Bromley-Sung, and that was what gave her the idea for the business venture. After some research, she came across a similar establishment in Ohio and ultimately wound up hiring the owner as a consultant.
“It’s a great way to get together with friends and have a good time and make gifts. I thought this would make a really cool business and who makes a wasabi pineapple candle anyway?” laughs Bromley-Sung, explaining how creating a studio next to her home and building her own candle line morphed into owning the business at 1423 Lake Drive SE, which opened this past November.
The process is simple. There are single-scent candles available for purchase (browse through more than 130 scents), but if you’d like to mix scents you loved from a handy fragrance sheet, it’s off to the candle bar for the custom, hand-poured candle process (it takes around a half hour from the time you walk into the shop until you finish pouring your candle). After 90 minutes the candle is ready, so while you wait, it’s fun to shop around at neighboring businesses, grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants or enjoy a drink or two.
“We are tied to a neighborhood with great restaurants and shopping and things to do,” says Bromley-Sung. “It’s a great walking community.” Terra is right next door as well as the coffee shop and eatery The Early Bird. Shopping can take up some time while you wait so visit Rebel Reclaimed, Eastown Antiques or kill time at Gallery 154. There’s even East West Brewing Co. and Matchbox diner nearby.
Candle popularity is real, and this custom-service only brings the following more credibility. Scent is largely tied to memory and emotion and Wax Poetic gets that. “It is tied into memories and always coming home and lighting a candle or setting the mood,” said Bromley-Sung. “To me, that’s the scent of my home and how it smells and is a big part of how we create our space.”
Not only are you designing your own scents, you can place them in the container of your choosing to match your style and the bespoke touches don’t stop there. Your candle can be personalized further by leaving kiss marks or your own doodle on the label. You can create a custom name for the scent you created and put your mark on the object in so many thoughtful ways.
The shop offers private parties, and a recent bridal shower party customized their candles with a combination of the couple’s first and last name and the wedding date on the bottom of the candle and this extremely personal gift is not only special but the time you take to create it packs just as much meaning.
“People are looking for an experience,” says Bromley-Sung, “We have less time than ever before and that seems to be what we hear so often—that it’s a fun time to have that experience.”
Wax Poetic Candle Bar is located at 1423 Lake Drive SE. Unless you are a party of five or more, there’s no need to call ahead of time, just come on in.
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