Get Out to New Brighton for candle store offering gifts and activities

NEW BRIGHTON — Third Avenue in New Brighton just got more fragrant.

The pleasant smell of candles and soaps now emanates from Pappy's Handcrafted Candles, on the southernmost end of the borough's business district.

"We started as an online business, but have expanded into our first brick and mortar this past November," said owner Kevin Avery, who chose the Pappy's name in tribute to his late father who had sparked his interest in candles.

"Some of the things we have here are 100 percent soy candles that are made from essential oils, and we use wooden wicks, which makes our candles a little bit unique from some of the others," Avery said. "They're all-natural burning and it's just a great, overall product. Everything that goes into our candles is made in the USA.

"We also have soaps, bath balms, body butters, scrubs," Avery said. We have some new items coming out like reed diffusers."

Reed diffusers include a bottle with aromatic liquids where you'd insert reed sticks, "so if you don't want a burning candle you can have just that with the fragrance. They last about three months, so a lot longer than a candle," Avery said. "It takes away from having an actual flame."

More than just retail spaces, candle shops have become entertainment spots, and Pappy's is no exception.

"One of the things we have is Wine & Wax parties where you'll have a group of like four to eight people for a private party where you will get to make your own candles," Avery said. "One thing that's nice about making them is the candles you do from beginning to end. Putting the candle and the vessel together, you can pick out your own scents, you can name the candle, choose your own color, so it's completely unique to your own self and what you like. And the next day you pick up that candle."

February, with Valentine's Day, is a time to think about love.

"We're (launching) seven new scents for Valentine's, so we'll have a great selection there."

Pappy's Handcrafted Candles also will offer a unique Feb. 6 event, "It's Lit!: Self-Love and Candle Making Workshop."

At that 3 p.m. event, Self-Care Senorita, a lifestyle blog and wellness proponent, will help attendees gain an understanding of self-care while they craft their own candles.

Pappy's is at 1224 Third Ave., next to the Subway in the initial site of Waffles Incaffeinated.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. The website is pappyshandcraftedcandles.com

"We are going to start accepting fundraisers for the local communities and organizations," Avery said. "We will be releasing our spring-summer catalog in February."

There's a touching story behind the Pappy's name.

"That's my dad," Avery said. "I started this business in honor of him. He passed away in October 2019. Growing up as a kid, my dad was a single father who took care of five kids on his own. And one thing I always remember is he always had candles in our house. He was always mixing them, so we just grew up around candles. So when the pandemic started in 2020, which is right after he passed, you know there's a lot of time to go through the grieving process, but with that I picked up the candle making and that's where it started."

Scott Tady is the local Entertainment Reporter for The Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger. He's easy to reach at stady@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @scotttady

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Pappy's Handcrafted Candles opens in New Brighton