The Scent Blending Experience
For those wanting a sneak-peek into our unique store experience, we tried to summarize the fun process.
It's an Experience! (not a class)
You heard about Elm Candle Bar, a new experiential retail shop in Capitol Hill. You type it into Google Maps to gauge the distance from them to you.
You visit the website, and see that reservations can be made. Elm Candle Bar is not a class, but an experience to customize your own creation!
First Impressions (of our scents)
As soon as you step inside, you see a wall of candles all tagged with cutie labels to show exactly what each scent is. There are 90 scents?! Your mind is blown, and your sensory organs are overly stimulated with all the sweet and savories. Before you get too distracted with all the pretty and pristine things, you’re greeted by a “scent specialist” who hands you a dainty clipboard and pen (the way the pen attaches to the clipboard is one of the most remarkable inventions among all things trivial). You write down your favorite smells, regardless of whether you think they’d blend well together or not.
Candles & More!
You then mozy on over to the shelf of options of how you want to encompass your customized fragrance. You see empty candle jars with one wick and three wicks in different color options, as well as empty spray containers with neighboring reed diffusers. You pick one; let’s say you choose the three-wick candle.
Mixing Magic
*Enter: the scent specialist.* You’re welcomed to the bar where you pull up a seat on a swaggy stool and notice the tray of goodies in front of you: a golden tablespoon with the longest handle you’ve ever held, plus a dainty, two-sided container that looks vaguely reminiscent of an hourglass. Our scent specialist looks at your list of written favorites and suggests some solid blends, but ultimately you get the final say.
Once you find your perfect ratio, you’re slipped a blank sticker label to draw on--this is where you get creative with colored pencils! As you do your Picasso thing, your scent specialist pours soy wax into your container and brings it to you to pour your fragrance blend into. Mix, mix, mix, and voila! Total time spent in store: 20-30 minutes.
Curing to Perfection
Something to note: If you make a candle or wax tart, it will take 2 hours to cure (depending on size). Your scent specialist will glaze your candle, trim your wick, and carefully put your label on. Spend some time out on the historic streets of Capitol Hill if you’d like! Once you return, tell them your name and they’ll have your final product packaged and ready for you to take home (or gift away!). If you’re short on time, room sprays and diffusers require no cure time and can be taken out the door right away.
Making a Home
You get home, set your fabulous creation on the coffee table, and light it up. As your living space gets filled with your uniquely personalized fragrance, you upload photos and videos from the day to your IG story with super cool and clever hashtags, including but not limited to #pourwithELM, #gettinglitwithcandlelight, or even #nowasmellsensai if you’re feeling #confident. Oh, and you didn’t forget to give us kind and constructive feedback with the highest generosity of stars on Yelp!
See you soon!
