A small group of women breathe in aromas from glass jars, pour liquid into vessels and stir, amid laughter and conversation.
It may sound like a lab, and it is a chemistry lesson, of sorts. The women are crafting their own scented candles at one of Caribou’s newest business ventures: Timber Candle Bar & Boutique.
Owner and founder Gerri Nadeau was inspired during a trip to southern Maine with her husband, Randy, when she visited a similar shop. She loved it, and wanted to bring the unique crafting experience north. The concept is new to Aroostook County and, as far as she knows, is the only pour-your-own candle business north of Freeport.
“There are so many good things going on in Aroostook County,” she said. “And for those days when the weather is not conducive to going outside, it’s nice to have a place to socialize, be creative and make some memories along the way.”
The name itself reflects Aroostook County — and a certain four-legged family member. As Nadeau was searching for just the right name, she happened to be petting one of the family dogs, a large Bernese mountain dog named Timber.
Then it struck her: The County’s two major economic drivers are agriculture and forestry, or timber. Timber Candle Bar was born.
The Nadeaus also own County Ag & Turf Supply Inc. at the same location, which sells landscaping elements and livestock feed. The store first opened in Presque Isle, moving to 7 Dow Siding Road in Caribou in 2019.
Realizing few women visited the store, Gerri Nadeau launched a small gift shop, later adding a series of olive oils and herbs for cooking. But she wanted to offer more.
She knew expanding a local business was risky, especially as people struggle with inflation, but family and friends cheered her on, she said. The shop facelift was “100 percent Nadeau-powered,” as her husband and family all pitched in.
It took about a year to bring it all together, she said. She created a plan and a logo, investigated fragrance oils, wax and wicks. She developed a wax blend that is clean burning, meaning it produces no soot, and is cruelty-free.
A local contractor added a backlit accent wall, and she plans to add some barn doors to separate the candle shop from the Ag & Turf side to give a cozier feel. Another local craftsman makes the wooden candle lids engraved with the shop logo, a stylized text with a wick over the “I” in Timber, Nadeau said.
She opened in May. Staff include Sue Audet, caterer and scent specialist; Morgan Bartlett, assistant manager; and Phoebe Butler and Makenzie Cole, scent specialists. And Timber, the shop’s gentle namesake, is on hand to greet people and is a customer favorite, Nadeau said.
She has been floored by the response, especially from businesses that want to hold team-building events there.
“I feel like since COVID, with everybody back at work, people are trying to get team members reacquainted and do something together that’s not work,” she said. “We had one group of nearly 30 recently, the largest group we’ve had.”
She has already doubled her fragrance collection, and now offers catering. The shop has hosted bridal and baby showers, birthdays and even going-away parties. Staff also create one-of-a-kind scents for local businesses, formulas which are reserved exclusively for that customer, she said.
For $44, people can get in on the experience. Customers pick out a glass container for their candle, choose up to three fragrances from more than 125 in stock, and start mixing and testing. Once they’re satisfied with the scent, they stir the oils together with a hot, liquid wax base.
As the material starts to harden, they add a wooden wick — the kind that crackles as it burns — and can top the candle with artistic elements such as dried flowers or crystals.
Those botanicals and crystals have special meanings, Nadeau said. For instance, rose petals represent grace and happiness, and amethyst crystals represent calm and positivity.
On a recent day at the candle bar, four women tested fragrances as Audet guided them through the process. One was making a candle for a friend about to welcome a child. Another combined favorite kitchen scents. All compared fragrances, talked and laughed.
That’s what makes Nadeau happy: to see people gathered face to face, creating and connecting.
“Every time they light that candle, they’ll think of the people they poured it with,” she said. “In a world full of chaos and uncertainty, this is a little piece of comfort.”
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