HOPE MILLS — If you find it impossible to walk past the candle section at the supermarket, gift shop or mall without stealing a few sniffs, Shaylin and Kirk Bell of Scented Wicks Candle Bar in Hope Mills have just the right thing to level up your fragrance game.

The husband-and-wife team, both of whom are veterans, opened the Main Street store in early January, which features dozens of aromas that customers can mix and match to create their own signature scented candle.

Shaylin Bell, 42, said she ordered a candle-making kit early in the COVID-19 pandemic, which sparked her interest in the art. Soon after, she began selling candles at Dirtbag Ales farmers’ markets and online. She and her husband knew they wanted to open their own physical candle store once they both retired from the Army.

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The 900-square-foot spot, formerly occupied by Shepard Computer Services, has a 12-seat bar where customers mix their candles, a faux floral selfie wall, and shelves of fragrance oils and premade candles, which start at $20.

Candle-making starts at $40 and takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Customers can choose up to three fragrances ranging from woodsy and masculine to sweet and fruity. Some of the most popular are Jamaican me crazy, which Bell said smells like a tropical paradise, and mahogany teakwood, a woodsy fragrance. Can’t decide? Play fragrance roulette by drawing three from a jar.

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Customers can also customize the look of their candle, by upgrading the vessel or adding crystals or flowers to the wax. Once the fragrances and add-ons are chosen, it’s time to start pouring. Bell walks customers through the process step-by-step.

After the candles are poured, they must cool for an hour or two before customers take them home and after that, Bell recommends allowing two weeks for the candle to fully cure before burning it.

“I’ve found it to be therapeutic,” she said. “It teaches you patience if you don’t have any.”

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The shop’s standard candles burn for up to 60 hours, and the larger ones for at least 90 hours, Bell said. All of them are made from soy wax, which burns longer and cleaner than paraffin wax, she said.

Walk-ins are accepted, but reservations are highly encouraged. Groups of 10 or more can reserve the space for two hours and bring their own food, wine and beer. Bell said she hopes to soon sell wine by the glass. For now, soft drinks are available for purchase.

The candle bar is just as suited for a kids' science class as it is for an adults-only night out. Children’s candle-making starts at $25. Bell said the experience can help illustrate the changing of physical states as the wax turns from a liquid to a solid.

Overall, she said, the shop is about fostering a sense of curiosity and imagination.

“There’s no limit to the creativity,” she said.

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The details

Location: 3109 Main St., Hope Mills

Hours: Monday and Tuesday by appointment only. Noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. Noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Phone: 910-339-1137

On the web: scentedwickscandlebar.com

Food, dining and business reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com. Want food news in your inbox every Thursday? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Candle-making bar in Hope Mills, NC allows BYO wine and beer