Meet the makers: Chaz and Kristen Schwiers celebrate 8 years of the Charleston Candle Co.

The Charleston Candle Co. started as a hobby and boomed into a staple of the downtown community.

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Charleston Candle Co. is a family business that started back in the summer of 2016.

Photo provided by Wawner Strategies

It’s time to celebrateCharleston Candle Co. is celebrating eight years of business. For the occasion, shoppers who spend $75 or more in-store on Saturday, Oct. 18, will receive a special gift. Pro tip: Shoppers will get early access to the new four-wick seasonal candle line before it’s launched on Monday, Oct. 21.

So light your four-wick inspired by the Lowcountry as we spotlight the talented makers behind this family-owned Charleston candle shop.

Meet the makers
Charleston Candle Co. is run by husband and wife duo Chaz and Kristen Schwiers. Fun fact: Chaz attended the College of Charleston, Go Cougars.

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Prepare to make decisions; you’ll have to choose from dozens of scents to craft your perfect candle.

Photo provided by Wawner Strategies

How things got started
During the summer of 2016, Kristen started making candles for fun out of the couple’s apartment kitchen. Once she began designing scents inspired by Charleston, the hobby expanded to an Etsy shop and eventually grew into a booming business that now calls a cozy St. Phillip Street shop home.

City Editor Callie here. Early this fall, Erika and I joined a candle-making class and we had a blast. It was so fun choosing and mixing our hand-picked scents to create our custom candles, we even had the chance to name them. I opted for a musky + woody scent for candle one and a Christmas scent for candle two.

The photo shows the CHStoday city editors at a candle-making class.

City Editor’s Erika and Callie agree the hardest part of making the candles is naming them.

Photo by CHStoday

Quick facts

  • All candles are hand-poured in small batches locally.
  • Candles are made with all-natural soy wax.
  • The fragrance oils are free of phthalates, carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins, organ toxins, and acute toxins.

Get a hands-on experience
Keep an eye out for upcoming candle-making classes, like the upcoming “Harry Potter Inspired Candle Class” on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

Pro tip: Sign up for classes well in advance, as they are likely to sell out.

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