Hometown Candle Co. celebrates its Blaine roots

Hometown Candle Co., an Arlington, Washington-based company started by Blaine native Tina Richardson, is growing quickly after its soy candles were featured at high-profile events in 2019, including the Grammy Awards and the MTV Movie & TV Awards.

As demand grows for the candles, Richardson said the shop is putting more emphasis on the wholesale side of the business, which currently sells products in seven states. The company offers more than a dozen scented candles, with aromas from Black Raspberry Vanilla to Frasier Fir. The half-pint jars can also be customized with different labels for no additional fee.

Richardson started the initial company, Reclaimed Heart, after the experience of losing her mother in 2014 made her realize that it was important to take risks and pursue her artistic passion. She started making crafts like wall-hangings and furniture for friends, before growing demand enabled her to become a vendor for shops around Snohomish County.

The company’s storefront opened in 2017 in Arlington, where Richardson moved in 2015 to give her daughter the small-town experience she had growing up in Blaine. Reclaimed Heart changed its name to Hometown Candle Co. in 2019 after the candles’ popularity became the focus of the company.

“When I think of my hometown, it will always be Blaine,” Richardson said.

Richardson’s great-grandparents were the first Blaine residents in her family. Now, Richardson can continue that legacy through her small-batch, hand-poured candles that have the slogan, “Where hometown pride shines bright.”

The candles are often used as gifts for the winter holidays, weddings or other occasions. “It’s nice to be able to capture people through how scents affect memories,” Richardson said.

The company’s Pacific Northwest Candle Collection creates candles inspired by towns around Washington, including Blaine and Birch Bay. The Blaine candle has a tropical fruit and citrus scent to highlight its location as a coastal town. “I chose the scent because Blaine has so much meaning to me,” Richardson said. “I wanted it to be a popular candle so people would buy it who don’t know about Blaine.”

The Blaine candle, which Richardson said is a bestseller, allows her to talk about Blaine with people who aren’t familiar with the town. Richardson said the candle also creates community through conversations; one recent customer turned out to be the daughter of Richardson’s elementary school teacher, she said.

The company aims to create candles that are healthy for both the customer and the environment, Richardson said. The candles are made with 100 percent soy wax and a cotton wick that allows the candles to burn clean without producing black soot.

Semiahmoo Resort sells both a coconut lime candle and a s’mores candle at its guest shop and for corporate events. The nine-ounce candles can also be purchased on hometowncandleco.com for $15, with $8.40 flat-rate shipping for one to three candles.