Caitlyn McCoy's first candle she ever made is dusty blue, mahogany scented, seated in thrifted glassware and has a tad bit of unwanted tunneling around the wick, something she now knows how to prevent.
She won't sell the candle because it's not up to her current standards, and her boyfriend, Matt, won't let her burn it. So there it sits, still vibrant with scent and certainly cherished but banned from burning.
"It's because it was my first one. He doesn't want it to go," she said. "He's definitely a sentimental person."
McCoy started selling candles about four months ago under the business name Candled with Care.
The 23-year-old said she needs a creative outlet to be happy - preferably a few of them - so she's in theater productions, and her kitchen counters at home are caked in candle wax.
But at first, her candle making was just a hobby, until her boyfriend encouraged her to sell some and see where it goes.
Now, she's able to make a few hundred dollars extra a month and frequents farmers markets to vend at and sells candles on Facebook, too.
But it's hard to sell a scent virtually, so she heavily relies on making her candles visually appealing.
Some look vintage and would pair nicely with some leatherbound books on a wooden bookcase, while others are more colorful and creative, like her ice cream candle that she long labored over to get the texture of the ice cream just so, and she has some quirky ones, too, meant to match niche interests.
Like sasquatch hunting.
"My grandma is obsessed with sasquatches," McCoy said. "She was like, 'I want a sasquatch candle.' And I'm like, 'How am I going to make a sasquatch candle?' So I went on Amazon and somehow found a sasquatch mold, and I was able to make like 20 sasquatch candles, all for her."
Candled with Care candles vary in price by size, but most are around $15, and she makes them soy-based so they are allergy-friendly and trims her own wicks so they are ready to burn upon purchase. Behind each candle is a few hours of labor and lots of waiting for the wax to settle and harden amid South Carolina's intense humidity, which makes the process so much harder, McCoy said.
To view her products, visit Candled with Care on Facebook, and McCoy can also be contacted at (803) 599-9263 or caitlynraycene@gmail.com.
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