Market Chat - Contagious Candles

Who is Contagious Candles?

“Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory”

When you encounter a familiar smell from the past a wave of memories can wash over you, leaving you filled with nostalgia. Imagine creating a scent for someone close to you or for a childhood place you love. Where would you even start? How would you ensure that fragrance is tied to those beloved memories and emotions? Tracey is Contagious Candles and this is what she has been doing for 15 years! She draws from positive emotional experiences to create aromas that depict memories and entices those feelings from you. She creates candles that take you to singing by the fire with your friends, sipping espresso in a cafe in Central America, or eating a slice of mom's freshly baked apple pie.  On top of that, Tracey can customize her scents for any person, place or thing. When she creates customized fragrances for individuals she is inspired by their core personality and what they love. These candles are artistically done with purpose to bring out memories and feelings you love most. This is what she calls “hygge”, a Danish and Norwegian term to describe the simultaneous feelings of comfort, courage, and a sense of coziness. It offers inspiration from how we dress and decorate to how we live. Hygge is a core ingredient in every Contagious Candle. 

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Why Candles?

Candles have always been entwined with Tracey’s life. Growing up, her family would go on road trips and vacations. While on the road they would stop in small pretty tourist towns like the ones we know and love here in South Georigan Bay. They would often stop in gift shops and this is where her love of candles began to grow. People close to Tracey know her love of candles and thus at birthdays and holidays, she often receives them as a gift. In return, she loves gifting candles and finding the perfect scent for that recipient. However, there were times she could not find the candle with the right aroma, it was too fragrant, or just not adequate. 

This is what sparked the curiosity in Tracey to start making her own candles. Keep in mind folks, this started 15 years ago. Finding resources to make candles looked a lot different. YouTube and Google were relatively new so Tracey did her research the old fashioned way. She reached out to mentor candle makers and relied on books to perfect the Contagious candle making process over three years. Tracey started making candles with paraffin wax but was not happy with the final product. Soy wax was just emerging in the candle market and so she decided to try it. Amazon was not a thing either and she had to find her own source from here in Ontario. To this day, Tracey continues to use this local supplier which is another part of sustainability that Georgian Bay Marketplace applauds. 

Why Soy and Cotton Wicks?
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Soy is a cleaner product than paraffin. It burns longer which is another attribute that makes Contagious Candles special. With Tracey’s quality candles - the emotions they draw last longer and add more personality to a room. “The first burn is so important” she states - referring to the fact that when you light the wick, you should be there for a while to enjoy it.  The wicks themselves are cotton which has many benefits. You get a consistent flame, moderated temperature, and a cleaner burn with no drips or carbon deposits. Furthermore, soy does not release toxins into the air such as paraffin candles would. 

The Vision and What’s Next
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One day, Tracey had a friend over looking at her candles. The friend jokingly said, “do you have any common sense?” (scents - get it?!) And guess what? Tracey made one! She never rejects an opportunity to make a candle.  She has the artistic ability to make a candle for any occasion, including weddings, fundraisers, birthdays, and other events! For a bride and groom to be she gets to know their personalities and transforms it into a candle that encapsulates their wedding day. This beautiful memory of union is then released whenever that candle is lit. The interrelation of scent and happy emotions is what Tracey replicates. Thus, customized candles are a passion for her and how she expresses her art. Currently she is also working on spring/summer fragrances, like watermelon! She also has been experimenting with the idea of floral candles and working with insets. Another ongoing project is using crackling wood wicks. She also will be carrying sleek mini tin candles soon! There’s a lot going on with Contagious Candles - so be sure to check in!

Kindness is Contagious
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 Now making candles is one thing but perfecting the aroma is a whole other level. This is an artist's skill that Tracey has developed over 15 years of devoted work. Not only can she invoke memories from her candles but she can actually extract those memories from you and transform them into a candle. It works both ways! This is because whatever you’re passionate about, Tracey is too. I had to ask Tracey, “how do you know when a candle is done?” and she stated, “my nose knows” and I believe it! As you readers may know I grew up in Clarksburg. Tracey created a candle customized for Clarksburg and when I smelled it, I could see myself walking downtown towards PJ Mart or Hindles. 
Tracey’s favourite part about making candles is putting the label on at the end and guess why? Because that means the sense of enjoyment from the person receiving it is that much closer. Tracey is truly passionate about what she does and understands the intrinsic connection between memories and scent. Each candle has hygge and when you burn a Contagious Candle you will feel comfort, coziness, courage and peace. That’s because for Tracey “kindness is contagious”

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