Boujee Pumpkin. Harvest Moon. Pure Magic.
Despite the names of the scents that Ashlynn Newman has mixed up for Halloween, there is the no black magic at her shop, nor any spells, cats or bells.
There are candles, however, and a candle bar, where customers can make scented candles, choosing from 100 scents.
Ashlynn’s business, Clinton Candle Co., opened a year ago, and is now entering the busiest quarter of the year. Her favorite part of owning the shop: mixing and concocting scents for seasonal candles.
“I love to get in here and create something new,” she said. “It allows me to create an environment that is cozy and calming, and I can help you create whatever environment you want.”
Ashlynn always wanted to run her own business, she said, but didn’t know she had an artistic side until she opened the shop. Besides mixing and concocting scents, she designed the Clinton Candle Co. logo, which Nick Smith painted on the wall. Besides the ambiance the scented candles give the space, the features of the interior add a nostalgic layer— the painted tin ceiling is the original, and as are the wood floors, which were stained and finished.
Clinton Candle Co. has candle-making workshops coming up, she said, and has been taking reservations for company holiday parties.
“We just did pumpkin dough bowls and ghost dough bowls,” she said.
Dough bowls are wooden bowls that are filled with candle wax and wood wicks. Ashlynn uses soy wax and cotton or wood wicks for a clean product. Fragrance oils are designed for candle burning, she said. After the candle burns down, the shaped bowl can be refilled or repurposed. She also has a recycle policy.
“You can return a candle vessel and get a discount on another one,” she said. “Recycled vessels are sold at a discounted price.”
Ashlynn’s favorite candle this time of year resembles candy corn, with layers of white, orange and yellow wax. She chose scents of honey butter, pumpkin caramel and apple cider for the layers.
The holiday season is the busiest for the shop, because in the fall, people use scented candles to create a cozy and warm atmosphere in their homes, she said. Her “All the Fall” scent includes cedar leaf and spiced apple. For Halloween, she created a spider web candle scented with black raspberry and butterscotch bourbon.
You can choose what scented candles you want to slot into a sugar-mold candle holder. Clinton Candle Co. carries a variety of table decor to warm up a family holiday gathering. Ashlynn also makes hand soaps and roll-on perfumes.
Since ancient times, candles were lit in sacred spaces in Egypt and the Middle East, a symbol of light, hope and the eternal nature of the soul. Candles can be used to focus energy during meditation, and are lit to remember the departed. Ashlynn is ambivalent when asked if there are any lingering spirits in her shop, which sat empty for three or four years. Before that, it was the Treasure Chest, she said, which carried antiques and vintage items.
“Kyle’s Jewelry occupied the space for the longest amount of time,” Ashlynn said. “It was the Penny Grocery from way back.”
It was her husband, Davin Newman, who suggested she open a candle shop. The Newmans and their two sons moved from Kirksville to Clinton four years ago, where Davin bought a State Farm Insurance agency on the Clinton Square. Ashlynn was a stay-at-home mom for three years, she said, but when her oldest son started school, knew she also wanted to open a business on the Square.
In the past, candles served as clocks to mark the hours, and are still used to mark the passing of years on birthday cakes. Most religions light candles on the altar for weekly services, a throw-back to when services were held in caves. Clocks and calendars have become digital, but churches still light Advent candles to mark the Sundays leading up to Christmas.
Ashlynn has a lot of candles at home, she said, which are literally ahead of their time, being made with scents she is testing for next season. Stop by the shop, 135 W. Franklin, to find out what holiday scents she has created for November.
For more information, go to clintoncandleco.com or call Ashlynn at 660-383-1405.
