Kathryn Hutson has always been a DIY enthusiast, making “all kinds of things” including pouring candles as a hobby while designing and making jewelry as an independent contractor for Angie Starr Jewelry.
A friend contacted me about a small space to open in Old Town Square as a shop where she could display her work. “There are so many great jewelry stores in this area, so we were looking to go in a different direction,” Hutson said. “My girlfriend and I are always looking for experiential activities. She loves girls' nights out.”
So it's no wonder Hutson opened The Barn. Candle Bar, a pour-your-own candle bar in Old Town Square in early February. The shop seats about four people and combines her candle-making expertise with an experiential business.
Candle makers can create unique candles from soy wax by choosing from dozens of containers (Hutson calls them containers) and more than 40 fragrances. Hutson said soy wax is more sustainable and burns more slowly, so it lasts longer.
The experience costs between $25 and $45 depending on the size of the container and takes about 45 minutes to melt, mix, and pour, and an additional 1 to 2 hours to set. Hutson said the shop uses pure cotton wicks that are well-baked. She recommends pouring candles in her classes, then shopping or eating, and returning to pick up your finished product.
“The key is to maintain the right temperature,” Hutson said. If the wax temperature is not appropriate, the surface may become rough or cratered. “It took me months to find the perfect recipe,” she said.
Hutson opened the store just before Valentine's Day and saw a lot of daters. Since then, the number of friend nights has increased. But business is good, with people walking around Old Town Square finding the store. The location is where she wanted to be, next to Ben & Jerry's and Style Curated, another new niche store.
Hutson also sells vessels and ready-made candles, including some of her signature collections, and hopes to sell jewelry once a month.
The store's size “creates a more intimate feel,” she said. “It’s more like a one-on-one experience.”
Hutson, who earned a degree in apparel merchandising from Oklahoma State, moved to northern Colorado with her husband three years ago. “We moved without visiting and now we never plan on leaving,” she said.
Opening her first store was “scary,” she said. She “made the decision and signed the lease within days. It was the biggest impulse purchase of her life.”
She doesn't think the DIY craze is going away anytime soon, and her hopes are burning bright. Candle Her Bar is a welcome part of Fort Her Collins' offering, which includes locations such as Pino's Her Palette and Board and Blush.
There are no better people than the people of Fort Collins, she said. “They always want to help.”
The National Candle Association estimates that retail candle sales in the United States are more than $3 billion annually.
be interested?
Burn. Candle Bar is located at 1 Old Town Square, Suite 104C and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Hutson runs the store alone, but hopes to expand its hours and hire additional staff by the summer.
For more information, please visit www.burncandlebar.com.