As the bitter autumn breeze brings the chills of October, many people celebrate the joys of the fall season. One of the best parts about fall is the scents that spark that warm feeling we all need to get through the coldest of days. Luckily, The Cleveland Candle Company has your back. 

The Cleveland Candle Company isn’t any old candle shop; this place allows you to make your own candle with the scents of your choosing. According to their website, the inspiration came from a fun date night idea which, once implemented, turned into parties with friends. 

“People were really liking it,” said owner David Gin in an interview “We opened a store [in Mentor] about six months after that.” 

Gin also stated that he wants to represent Cleveland by opening up a place that emphasizes the experience. “We go for stuff that is all about experience,” he says. “That was something we feel we can gravitate towards to kind of create memories.” 

The success of the first store in Mentor motivated the opening of two more stores, one in Coventry and another in Ohio City. 

The Cleveland appreciation is strong within the company. They even produced the Cleveland Collection, a collection of scents and glassware dedicated to showing off the city. The scents include Ohio Harvest, CLE Magic, Edgewater Park, Lake Erie and Cleveland Snow, all honoring different parts of the town we all know and love. 

“We wanted to create something that is uniquely Cleveland and that can speak to the people who live here and grew up here,” Gin said. 

The first scent created was Cleveland Snow, which is now the No. 1 scent, and for good reason.  “We wanted to make something that was seen as a negative and turn it around and make something that people in Cleveland can be proud of and give as a gift to people who aren’t from here,” he explained. “It’s like a piece of Cleveland.” 

Staying true to Cleveland is very important to the company. According to Gin, 90% of the  candle oils are from the state of Ohio, which demonstrates the brand’s dedication to locality. 

“As much as we can get locally we would try to do so,” he said, “Like little mom and pops that just make [the products] for us, all the way to midsize companies that are a little bit bigger.”

 The ingredients are important as well. Each candle is made with 100% soybean extract from U.S. farmers. Then, the candles are handmade and stirred with a spoon, one at a time, topped off with handwritten lables. 

The Cleveland Candle Company is a place where people can go to have a relaxing experience with some friends or just to find a handmade candle. So, if shopping local is important to you and you want to buy a candle with a story, try checking out The Cleveland Candle Company.