The arrival of autumn is always accompanied by some telltale signs: the changing leaves, the newly-crisp morning air, and, of course, the fall candle drops you wait for all year.
While you’d find seasonal fragrances in any candle aisle, customers at The Weathered Wick Candle Studio — a beloved candle-making shop in Denver — have the opportunity to take classic fall scents to the next level.
The Weathered Wick gives you everything you’d need for a “make your own candles” outing in Denver, giving customers the fragrances and materials to build custom candles. But perhaps most special is the shop’s ability to blend scents, allowing customers to mix up to three of The Weathered Wick’s fragrances to create their own signature aroma.
“It’s not like you have to pick just one … the blending is the fun part,” said Erika Strassberg, founder and owner of The Weathered Wick.
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Chasing a Passion
A corporate event planner by trade, Strassberg left that industry in 2021 when she noticed an absence of candle-making spots in Denver. While the concept was popping up elsewhere, Denver residents who searched “candle making store near me” would have come up empty at the time.
There was a chance for Strassberg to fill a gap in the market while holding onto the event planning spirit she loved, so in January 2022, The Weathered Wick arrived on the scene.
Today, The Weathered Wick is a well-loved gathering place for all kinds of visitors and occasions.
Some customers come to the Weathered Wick for more traditional occasions, visiting Denver’s original DIY candle pouring spot for Mother’s Day, a birthday, or a team-building candle-making activity. Others choose to share unique moments with the Weathered Wick team, celebrating a 16th wedding anniversary (the traditional “wax anniversary”) or marking a cancer remission.
The shop also offers private events and wholesale candles, allowing Denver businesses and brands to create their own signature scents or host candle-making classes.
“We do a lot of events in the community in various locations,” Strassberg said. “That’s always fun — to get out of the studio and bring the experience to other places.”
The Weathered Wick has remained a versatile option for any kind of event thanks to its interactive offerings. Customers aren’t just shopping for a candle that smells appealing — they’ve got access to all the candle-making supplies the Denver shop has to offer, allowing them to build a custom scent blend, pour their own candles, and even decorate the vessel.
Plus, Weathered Wick makes it easy (and tempting) for customers to come back for more. Customers who build their candles in glass vessels can reuse the container by refilling it during another Weathered Wick visit, adding a layer of sustainability to the business’ model.
“You’re not just making a one-time thing and tossing it — you’re investing in this piece that you can then come back seasonally, you can change the scents, you can do something new, you can come in with different friends and try a different combination,” Strassberg said.
Celebrating the Season
While The Weathered Wick stocks 50 scents year-round, the annual “candle season” — the time of year when Strassberg said customers just want to cozy up indoors — brings a little extra magic to the shop’s supply.
In mid-September, the candle-making shop launched its annual fall fragrances, a collection of five scent options that includes Apples, Pumpkin, Cinnamon Chai, Essence of Fall, and Ginger and Spice (Strassberg’s favorite of the bunch for its blendability). Any of the five fragrances can be blended with each other — or with the 50 permanent scents on the shop wall (think any fall scent + Caribbean Teakwood, one of Strassberg’s year-round favorite scents).
This year, the fall scents will stay through the end of the year — and through the holiday season. On Nov. 5, The Weathered Wick will unveil another five winter scents, meaning that through the end of December, customers will have an astonishing 60 scents to pick from.
If that kind of mix-and-match selection sounds overwhelming, don’t worry — that’s what The Weathered Wick staff is there for.
The aromatherapy experts are there to create the perfect customer experience, Strassberg said, helping guests bring their olfactory dreams to life by going as far as measuring out the perfect scent combination.
Whether visitors want to duplicate their favorite scent, create something wholly original, or evoke a specific smell sensation, The Weathered Wick’s knowledgeable team can make it happen.
“I think our staff really elevates the experience and the space that we’ve already created,” Strassberg said.