Our story
Three scents from the Maine coast and woods, poured by hand in a small studio in Portland.
The place
A studio on the waterfront
Saltbox Candle Co. is Hannah Morse, working from Studio 4 at 85 Commercial Street in Portland, Maine. Out the door is the working waterfront: fishing boats, ferries to the islands and, most mornings, fog coming in off Casco Bay.
The name comes from the saltbox houses you see all along the New England coast, the plain clapboard ones with one short roof slope and one long one. Simple, sturdy and built to last, which is what we want from a candle too.
How a candle is made
Small batches, start to finish
Every candle goes through the same few steps in the studio, by hand.
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Melt
Soy wax is melted slowly, a small batch at a time.
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Blend
The fragrance is stirred in by hand, one scent per batch.
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Pour
Each tin or jar is poured around a centered cotton wick and left to set.
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Label and pack
Once set, it is labeled, packed and shipped from Portland.
Why only three
Three scents, on purpose
Sea Salt & Cedar, Maine Balsam and Wild Blueberry: the coast, the woods and the berry barrens Down East. We would rather make three scents well than thirty that blur together, and it makes choosing a lot easier when you can't smell them first.
Each one comes as a candle in three sizes, a reed diffuser and a six-pack of wax melts, so you can find the scent you like and keep it in every room.
Find your scent
Start with a travel tin, or go straight for the big jar.