SipNWicK

SipNWick candle shop started as the accidental career shift during COVID. It was 5 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day 2020 and Patrick Allen, restaurant manager of O’Brick’s on Anna Maria Island, had to shut the doors. While making dinner later that evening a lightbulb went on: He thought back to all the discarded wine bottles at the restaurant and the idea of upcycling the bottles into candle vessels was born.

Once month later, Patrick and his wife, Gina, hit it out of the park with their handmade candles at the Downtown Bradenton Public Market. They had realized that SipNWick was more than just a hobby and the couple expanded from the market to conducting mobile candle-making classes. Attendees can sip their favorite beverage while they learn about candle making and create their own.

What makes these candles different is the nontoxic, noncarcinogenic materials used. Patrick pointed out there’s no content disclosure required in the candle world and the mass-produced candles found at many discount and home outfitting stores are filled with toxic ingredients that people then burn in their homes, around their children and pets. The Allens use a long-burning soy-wax blend and carefully source their fragrances from three companies that all commit to transparency and purity in the ingredients.

In the classes, you choose the size of the upcycled glass vessel and the individual fragrance. You also learn how to properly burn a candle to make it last longer and smell its best. One tip Patrick disclosed is trimming the wick before each burn. This allows for the wax to burn more evenly, extending the life of the candle and giving off optimal fragrance because the wick is closest to the fragranced wax.

There are over 100 fragrances to choose from seasonally along with signature lines carried throughout the year. Candle collections include the Beach, Everyday, Local, and Wizard lines. Each fragrance is meant to evoke a memory or emotion and transport you to another place and time. For example, within the Beach Line is an Anna Maria Island scent exuding aromas of beechwood, clean linen, palm trees, and sand with a little bit of earthiness that takes one back to family beach vacations. The Longboat Key resembles more of an elegant island feel of crisp linen mixed with a touch of sea air minerality. The Wizard Line, a favorite of Gina’s, contains the Butter Beer scent. It’s a combination of bourbon, butterscotch, and vanilla and it takes Patrick back to being at his grandmother’s house as a young boy, unwrapping butterscotch candies all afternoon.

Seasonal scents include Spring, Summer, Fall, Halloween, and the number-one-selling Christmas Eve, which Patrick describes as pine tree and snow, a scent that brings an instant Christmas vibe. The Summer scent releases aromatics of sunshine, outdoors, being poolside with red sangria, and a bright clean splash of orange.

Patrick adds that the candles bring to life a moment or experience in the form of a fragrance that can also be shared as a gift. Along with classes, the Allens can be found at the Downtown Bradenton Public Market, Coquina Beach Market, and on third Thursdays at the UTC Night Market October through May. Ready-made candles can also be purchased at The Beach Shop in Cortez and on Anna Maria Island at Ginny & Jane E’s Bakery Café and Cool Beans AMI.

> To learn about monthly pop-up classes, follow SipNWick on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and at sipnwick.com.