New home-made candles business in Nantwich burns brightly

A new store selling home-made candles is proving a bright addition to Nantwich town centre.

Leanne McGrady has opened her first “Our Time Candles & Diffusers Ltd” shop on Beam Street three years after launching her business online.

And it’s already lighting up the place after staging a series of fun workshops for kids during half-term.

Leanne makes her fragrance products by hand after she found a passion for candle-making when she moved to Shavington from Cumbria in 2020.

She wanted a hobby to fill her time when her young children were about to start school.

And when her husband Andy, who spent 24 years working for a home fragrance manufacturer, suggested making candles it sparked her business idea.

Leanne visited a local craft store and bought a small candle making kit to trial it.

The couple talked through the requirements of candles, chemistry involved and how waxes, perfumes and wicks are different.

And Leanne has not looked back since!

Andy said: “There are already plenty of candles and diffusers on the market, so we knew Our Time Candles & Diffusers had to perform well in a congested market with plenty of big-name brands.”

It took the couple four months of testing to perfect the blend and performance.

In August 2021, Leanne launched online with six fragrances.

Now her shop sells 20 fragrances with every product tested for performance and safety.

Leanne added: “The reception to everything was amazing and the first six months went well.”

Leanne grew the range of products including bath powders, in six allergen free fragrances, as well as introducing the geometric range in 10 fragrances.

The couple then took the plunge when spotting an empty retail unit on Beam Street, and they agreed terms just before Christmas.

Leanne added: “We have candle dipping and colouring within kids’ corner for the children plus a diverse fragrance mix that is sure to meet everyone’s needs.

“We have fruity, floral, fresh, and woody scents as well as wellbeing fragrances to help sooth your mind. Geometric range includes pear drops, banana split plus fragrance dupes – all made in store.

“We also stock a whole host of accessory products carefully selected to support our own products with wax melters, both traditional and electric, bath products, gift cards and gift wrapping.”

The new store is laid out to enable ease of access for pushchairs, wheelchairs, and mobility scooters.

The shop is also dog friendly, and all of products are cruelty free with the majority of items also vegan.