This whole thing started as a homework assignment. I was at the University of Cincinnati, working on a class project where we had to build out a business plan, and instead of writing about a company that already existed, I wrote one for a candle brand of my own. I tested it at a booth at Traders World, and in October 2022 I opened the shop inside the Morrow Arts Center. That building used to be a Little Miami school, and I am a Little Miami alum, so yes, I now go to work in a Little Miami building and make candles. Full circle doesn't begin to cover it.
A lot has changed since that class project, but the candle is still pretty simple. People ask what goes into one, so here is the whole thing, from the bottom of the jar up.
The wax
Every Wicksy candle is poured with a coconut soy blend. It is a creamy looking wax, and it gives us a nice even burn when it is treated right. That is why I keep going on about the first burn. Our 9oz jars have a 45 to 50 hour burn time, and I would love for you to get every hour of it.
The wick
Each jar gets a single cotton wick. There is nothing fancy to it, and it asks very little of you. Trim it to about a quarter inch before you light it, and it will treat you well. If yours ever gets away from you and the wax starts tunneling, I wrote up how to fix a tunneling candle this week.
The fragrance
This is where most of the fun happens. Every scent has top, middle and bottom notes, the same way a perfume does. You get the top notes first, then the middle comes through as the candle warms up, and the bottom notes are what linger in the room.
Take Saturday Morning Cartoons. It opens with citrus, moves into cherry and orange, and finishes with vanilla, sandalwood and cereal milk. If I had just told you the notes, you would have a fair idea of how it smells. Cereal bowls, fuzzy pajamas and a whole morning with nowhere to be tells you how it feels, and that is the part I care about most. We start with the memory and then go looking for the fragrance that gets us there.
Everything we make is made without phthalates, parabens or sulfates. I call that the Wicksy Standard, and it holds for every product on our shelves.
The label
Look closely at the label and you will find a Spotify code. Scan it and you get a playlist of about 30 songs, picked to go with that scent, that runs about two hours. I built it to be a soundtrack and a timer at once. Press play when you light the candle, and when the music ends, it is a good time to blow it out. At 45 to 50 hours, a jar has a little over 20 full playlists in it.
The part you find at the end
Every candle also comes with a wildflower seed kit, with compressed soil and pollinator-friendly seeds. When you have burned down to the last half inch of wax, clean out your jar, add the soil and seeds, and water it. The same jar that made your living room smell good all winter can start growing flowers in the spring. I love that a candle gets to have a second life, and I love that I get to tell you to go play in the dirt.
The person pouring it
The last ingredient is me. Our candles are handcrafted in small batches in Morrow, Ohio, by the same person you will see standing at the counter when you walk in. Small batches mean I can test a scent, change my mind, and try it again. It also means that when you have a question about your candle, you are talking to the person who made it.
All of our 9oz candles are $19.99, and you can see them all in our candle collection. If you would rather have some help narrowing it down, take the scent quiz, or come see the shop and smell everything in person. Sunday is a nice day for it.
Stay cozy,
Nathan
