Quincy-Melissa Mengel's home smells like Christmas.

When you first walked into her apartment in Quincy, southwest, you didn't know where the smell came from. But then, you saw it. 

A lighted 16-ounce amber and rift wood candle sits in a rustic white dough bowl on the dressing table. On the coffee table are small 8-ounce candles in glass jars with five different festive scents. In the kitchen, soy wax is heating up to make another batch of her Salt and Branch candles. Mengel's brand is just an idea.

When she first launched Salt and Branch in January 2020, the site was a place where you could only buy other people's goods. At saltandbranch.com, shoppers can buy a selection of country products from other small businesses, such as Sweet Mint Handmade Goods pillows, Porter Lane Home blankets and Collective Harmony Co. bath salts.

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It wasn't until earlier this year that she launched her own candle series, all handmade in Quincy. She said it was not a seamless process. She spent time experimenting with different scents, essential oils and waxes before deciding to use soy wax and oil mixtures that she thought burned clean and were not irresistible. Through her experiments, she said she is confident of selling a high-quality product that she is proud of locally.

"I have tried many different media. I am not an artist myself, but I have always been creative and like candles and scents," she said.

Mengel started with four scents in one size and gradually expanded every season. Her classic collection is available all year round, and five new fragrances have been added during the holidays: Amber and Driftwood, Coastal Pine, Holiday Joy, Happy Brightness and Cranberry Ginger. Candles are now also available in four sizes: 2-ounce small candles, 5-ounce and 10-ounce jars, and 16-ounce multi-wicks. 

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"The people who find us have similar values ​​and want something handmade and something clean and burning," she said.

In addition to making candles on their own, Mengel and her boyfriend also design labels, keep up with wholesale orders, run a website, and ship everything from the living room. 

“Obviously, creation is a huge component, but I like the process of making candles, designing labels, and doing product photography, all of this, really,” she said. "The best part of this journey is to meet other makers and connect with people who want to support the local movement."

Candle making is far from Mengel's daily work as a mental health consultant, but she said that the variety of candles is what makes it interesting.

"This is very different. It is an interesting thing for me, and it still allows me to experiment and be creative," she said. 

Salt and Branch candles can be purchased at saltandbranch.com, Yup Sup in Marshfield, Glow Beauty Boutique in Braintree, and Ocean Dreams Market in Sherborn. Their prices range from $10 to $40, depending on size and smell. 

Uniquely Local is a series of stories by Mary Whitfill, focusing on farmers, bakers and manufacturers on the South Bank. Any idea for a story? Contact Mary at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.

Read more about the "Unique Local" series here. 

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