“I’d like to take this moment to congratulate you,” Bianca Facendo said. “You’re all official candlemakers!” Cheers filled the room, and I felt accomplished. Customizing and labeling my own one-of-a-kind candle—well, I had some help with the label—is worth celebrating.
About The Gleeful Candle Co.
I was at The Gleeful Candle Co., Facendo’s unique boutique where guests step out of their daily lives for an hour and create their own scented candles. It’s a cheery little space that, since opening in June 2022, has added to Main Street Mechanicsburg’s bohemian charm. Facendo leads classes pumped full of energy. On this Wednesday night, seven workshop attendees launched our candle making journey to the beat of Sia’s “Cheap Thrills.” Facendo bounced forward to introduce herself and her infectiously good vibe.
“I love arts and crafts, creating something out of nothing,” she explained. “That’s magic.” During the pandemic, she found so much joy in candle making that she had to share it as a creative outlet for others. She had a good idea and a dream. She just needed to find a space and make it so. “And it really happened in that magical order,” she said. Her search led to Mechanicsburg, where she decorated an old storefront in calming pinks and ivories, stringing globe lights overhead.
1 of 2
2 of 2
Creating the Candle
On this night, mother and daughter Anne and Abbey shared my table, there to enjoy a Christmas gift card. “Sometimes, we don’t need things,” Anne told me. “It’s just fun to go and do.” Facendo guided us through each step. Our stations were stocked with materials. Seven-ounce candle jar with wick. Stirring stick. Notepaper headed “Scents I love here.”
Yes, the scents. The fun part. About 20 candle-specific oils lined the center of the table. They were clean and neutral, like Eucalyptus. Floral and fruity, like Lemon Lavender. Tropical, like Beachwalk and Pineapple. Facendo instructed us to sniff and note the ones we like.
“All we’re doing is sniffing and writing, sniffing and writing,” she said. “There’s no such thing as too many scents.”
Then we combined drops to find just the right combo of two or three oils. I landed on Seashore and Caribbean Nights. We filled a vial with 15 drops at a time of each chosen oil, carefully seeking the right balance. As my beachy ideal took shape, I added a hint of citrus surprise with a few drops of the popular Goji Tarocco Orange.
In the meantime, Facendo invited us to a set of hot plates, where we slowly stirred soy wax shards into liquid. “Soy wax produces less soot and is less irritating to the lungs,” she told us. Then we poured oil into the wax and the wax mixture into the glass. Finally, Facendo asked us to name our candle and create a label.
“Decisions, decisions,” said my tablemate Abbey. “From scents to names.”
“I could just name it Ralph,” I said. But I kept the beach vibe going. Beach Sunrise? Yoga on the Beach? Dolphin Watch?
1 of 2
2 of 2
The End Result
Dolphin Days, I decided. Facendo then helped me draw a perfect dolphin, complete with splashing water, for the finishing touch, the label. When I reached Facendo a few days after picking up my candle, I told her I was still waiting for the ideal moment to burn it. I wasn’t alone. Many customers tell her, “I just love the aroma of it sitting on my coffee table.”
Her workshops always offer something new. Scents change to reflect the seasons. Themed workshops might feature coffee scents or a harpist playing. Parents and grandparents can bring kids ages 10 and up. Husbands and boyfriends arrive apprehensive and leave engaged and proud of their creations.
Facendo makes every customer feel welcomed with her buoyant personality. It’s all wrapped up in the name of her enterprise, which was her first leap into a brick-and-mortar business. She settled on the little-used “gleeful” to “personify the actual candle.”
“I wanted to put energy toward the candles that we’re making,” she said. “It encompasses the experience and the candle that you go home with.”
Visit The Gleeful Candle Co. for yourself!
62 W Main St, Mechanicsburg, PA | thegleefulcandle.com
