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Photo by Majida Rashid
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Elizabeth, son Jacob and Justin Blaine proudly present some of their soy candles jars, air fresheners and tart burners at Staircase to Scentsational Gifts in Milan.
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It's no surprise that Justin and Elizabeth Blaine of Milan had romance on the brain late last year when they opened Scentsational Gifts in Milan's new mini-mall, The Milan Staircase, 52 E. Main St.
The store sells products that can kindle romance and love, something the Milan High School sweethearts are in tune with since meeting in 2001.
"We were really good friends at first when we met in 2001," Elizabeth said. "Justin then chased after me for a year. I finally gave in. I thought, 'I'll give him a chance.'"
They started dating in 2002, got married a year later and had their son, Jacob, in 2004.
The couple started making soy candle as a hobby, giving them to friends and family. As demand for their creations grew, they decided to open a store.
"I always wanted to do a long-term business of my own and this was an excellent opportunity to open a store," Justin said.
A plethora of color –– marine blue, amber, teal green, white, avocado, cream, brown, yellow, turquoise, orange and aqua blue –– greets the eyes of customers entering the store. You name the color and they have it. Seven shelves are dedicated to the jar candles in various shades and hues of matching and contrasting colors.
Variety is not limited to the colors. Vanilla lace, fudge nut brownie, Seychelles cove, grandma zucchini bread, hazelnut cappuccino, peach schnapps, southern apple pie, pomegranate and "love spell" fragrance are among 24 different scents that the candles come in. Pear berry is their most popular.
You can also purchase a tart burner, and angel-, heart-, star- or dove-shaped air fresheners that can be hung on the wall.
Tart burners are sold in a block with tiny cubes in various colors and scents. The cubes can be broken and placed in a burner with tea lights underneath as they melt and fill the room with fragrance.
"Our tart burners are very popular, especially among older customers. They are very safe because wax cubes melt in the pot that they are placed in," Justin said.
In addition to the business, Justin holds two jobs at Kroger and Milan Public Schools, where he works as a custodian. Elizabeth takes care of Jacob and baby-sits for her friends' children during the day. At night and during the weekends, both make candles. During the week, Justin's parents, John and Cindy Blaine, make candles.
The young couple co-owns the store with Justin's parents. Eighty percent of the items in the store are hand-crafted either by the couple or members of their family.
Justin's father handcrafts pens and solar lights for yards. Elizabeth's dad, Gary Hartman, and aunt, Mary Lou Hartman, make Jacob's ladder rosary bracelets and rosaries from fossil and firestones. Elizabeth's grandma, who is in her 60s, designs and color-coordinates stone and pearl necklaces and bracelets.
All the candles, tart burners and air fresheners sold at the business are made with soy wax. Soy candles are made from soy wax, which is hydrogenated soybean oil. Soy wax was invented in 1992 by Michael Richards, who was looking for a cheaper alternative to beeswax. Beeswax is a natural alternative to paraffin, but it's expensive, especially compared to soy wax. Soy wax is often mixed with fragrances to produce scented soy candles.
Soy wax is also an alternative to paraffin wax. Unlike paraffin candles, soy candles do not increase the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Soy candles also disperse the scent faster. Another advantage of soy candles is that the spills can be cleaned with hot soapy water.
To make a soy candle and other products, you need soy wax, fragrance, essential oils, stabilizer, dyes and wicks. Handmade candles made with soy wax are often tainted with chemical stabilizers such as Vybar to enhance scent, color and burn time.
To make a candle, soy wax is melted to a certain degree of temperature, which is usually a trade secret. Wax is then cooled and dye is added when the temperature reaches between 150 and 170 degrees. Wax is allowed to cool even further, and fragrance is added to the wax when the temperature reaches between 120 and 150 degrees.
A wick is placed in a jar and scented wax is poured into the jar. It takes about an hour to completely cool the wax. The wax is allowed to settle for two to three days.
"Every candle maker has a pouring consistency," Justin said. "It takes us about 40 minutes to make a batch of four candle jars. A batch can contain as many as you want. We make small batches so that we can have different sets of scents for our customers."
So, is "love spell" the Blaines' favorite scent?
You just might have to stop in and ask them.
Majida Rashid is a freelance writer. She can be reached at majdar2000@yahoo.com.
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