Homemade candles lit for success

CANDLE connoisseurs Mia and Talbot create more than great smelling wax.

Establishing the candle making business over seven years ago, owner Leah Haynes said she was initially just looking for a creative outlet to make a little bit of money on the side.

“I’ve just been building things up from there since then,” she said.

“We were just selling candles at markets to start off with, and we wanted to find a way to support local so the idea grew to offering hampers and gifts including other local products.

“Doing markets and meeting and chatting with people, it’s nice to be able to support those other businesses, our view as a family is to shop small and try and support our community that way.”

Although last year was challenging for many small businesses, Ms Haynes said surprisingly the candle trade stayed steady and hampers really started to take off.

“It’s really heart-warming to see what people are doing and messages of support that people were sending each other over that time,” she said.

“It’s great to actively support your community by supporting small businesses.

“We are all in this together at the end of the day, we need to support everyone that we can especially locally because some businesses have been doing it tough.”

Stocking goods from Sovereign Hill, Michael Unwin Wines, Saltbush Kitchen, ShortHive Honey as well as local earrings, bibs and soaps, the hampers are fully customisable to your liking.

“I’ve got premade hampers that you can choose from or you can build your own and just add in what you like and you can choose to get it gift wrapped, in a basket or just in a box,” she said.

“Everything is packaged with bright packaging and you can choose everything even down to the postcard design and then put a personalised message on there.

“I try to make it all just bright and happy.”

In addition to the brand’s signature candle scents including champagne strawberries and caramel vanilla, Mia and Talbot also offer a range of seasonal fragrances and products.

“I change the fragrances seasonally, although my staple scents have been there since the start and customers that come back for those,” she said.

“We offer travel tins, tumbler candles, melts and diffusers, also have bath bombs that are custom made for us and we also stock other people’s products as well.

“There is more than goes into it than you would think, there is sort of an art to it … I make them from the heart and I try to add a creative element in there.”

Catch Mia and Talbot at a variety of regional markets, in a selection of businesses including the Mill Markets or order a candle or hamper online at miaandtalbot.com.au for free local delivery.