Having seen many brick-and-mortar retailers launch only to be quickly usurped by e-commerce, South Tampa couple Misty and Dennis Akers knew they were looking for an experience-based business opportunity that couldn’t easily be taken over by Amazon. The result: The Candle Pour, a new make-your-own candle shop in Hyde Park Village. With guidance from the shop’s staff, customers choose a handful of scents from over 100 different oils (fresh, sweet, floral, masculine, food and more scents are on hand) along with their vessel (different-sized candles, diffusers and sprays) to create their custom piece. “Every single candle that leaves the store is different than the last,” Misty Akers says. “We’re in love with some of the things that people blend.” Calming, spa-like scents like eucalyptus and bamboo have been popular with candle-makers, as have food scents like bacon and champagne (men go straight toward bacon, while women head right for the champagne, Akers says with a laugh). According to Akers, making a candle can be an emotional experience, with many customers looking to recreate a scent associated with a favorite memory -— maybe a vacation or childhood home. “A lot of times scent gets lost in the mix [of your other senses], but it’s so important,” Akers says. “As soon as you smell something, it can put you back in a place that you hadn’t been in 10 or 15 years.” Scroll down to see more photos inside the shop.
WHAT TO KNOW: THE CANDLE POUR | 734 S. Village Circle | (813) 284-0621 thecandlepour.com
Mon-Sat 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Sun 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
No reservations needed
