ESPERANCE — “We always ask everybody, ‘What is something you would want to see?’” Tricia Burgin said during her and Cheryl Burgin’s April 2nd Cute and Wicked Candles Grand Reopening. What you see when entering their shop includes their highlighted candle of the month display, new men’s product line, and their welcoming smiles.
Their ever-evolving shop has relocated a few buildings down to 152 Main Street, and before that they ran their store in Texas, where Tricia was born and raised.
The move to 152 Main Street has given them enough space to manufacture the majority of their products on-site going forward and the ability to control room temperature, which will prevent further product loss they experienced at the previous location during cold winter months.
Grateful for their starting Esperance location,Tricia shared, “Mr. Buck was so sweet to just let us open up in there. He was like, ‘It’s storage.’ I was like, ‘But we can make something beautiful out of it, I know we can.’”
“We’ve met some amazing people that have just kind of taken us in and have helped us out since we’ve been here,” Cheryl stated, and the Burgins mentioned Kim Greiner as a big help with setup for a couple hours before their Grand Reopening.
“We’re handcrafted here. We support local, we support small; we enjoy making things, putting our energy into it; watching people look at it, feel it, and smell it; kind of like a chef when you go into a restaurant and they bake a meal for you and want to see you eat the meal because they put their hard work into it,” explained Tricia of their women-owned & veteran-owned business; Cheryl was a Marine Corp F18 jet engine mechanic. “We just love researching and creating,” Tricia continued, “ And putting it together and making it unique; something that you can’t find somewhere else.”
They enjoy the puzzle of coming across a scent and figuring out the notes in it to recreate and put their own spin on. “Bath & Body Works is our inspiration, but we try to keep it at a price point where people can afford them and want to come back,” explained Cheryl, “Because you can go to a popular candle brand and buy a candle for $30 and once it burns out, it’s like, are you going to go back and buy another $30 candle when ours are $15, they’re good quality, and you can use them all the way down in that last quarter inch?”
Tricia shared that during COVID, the idea for their business came to her in a dream; she woke up and told Cheryl they were going to start making candles, “We started researching. I think we did a whole year of research on wax, the wicks; we started testing, we started giving them out to friends, having our friends test them for us, and then we just went from there.”
Cheryl makes the candle bases and shared that the process is different for each item because it’s all about proper timing with heat and attention to detail with getting wicks aligned. Her favorite part of the job is meeting people for consultations that allow her to get to know them and put a personal touch on custom items for events like weddings and baby showers, citing 60 baby shower gift candles they created for a customer in January and a unity candle for a wedding.
All their oils and herbs are organic and they order herbs from a company in CA that shows exact sources the herbs come from. Their candles are vegan-friendly; made of soy instead of wax, which Cheryl explained reduces soot, and you can recycle the candle containers to use within your home. A sign in their shop explains in further detail why they use soy for their candles which includes benefits of safer indoor air quality compared to petroleum wax, eco-friendly sustainability, longer burn time, soybeans are plant-based & renewable, and supports U.S. farms.
Cheryl credited Tricia for her patience with working with 3D molds and with topping candles with herbs enhancing each candle’s intention. For instance, unlike other Astrology candles on the market, theirs are accompanied with birth crystals for you to keep instead of birthstones, and its herbs represent prosperity, abundance, protection, and luck.
Stop by their new address (152 Main Street, Suite 1, Esperance) Thursday - Saturday, 11 AM - 5 PM, and enter their Mother’s Day Giveaway with a $25 minimum purchase. The winner will receive a box containing a hand-poured soy wax candle, botanical body oil, room & linen spray, lip balm, body lotion, and herbal bath salt valued at over $85-worth of products.
They have extra boxes you can use anytime to create your own product selections, and
Father’s Day boxes will be available as that holiday approaches. Their new men's line carries everything you need for a full grooming kit and stemmed from beard oil they already carried and from men coming in and asking for more masculine products, which they promised to have at their Reopening; they held true to that promise. Shelves at their Grand Reopening were stocked with their beard comb & brush set, body lotions, shaving creams, and cologne-scented candles like Bourbon & Bow Tie and Barbershop.
The Burgins invite you to sit on their couch and see what they are all about; ask questions, try tester sprays, read one of their books to learn about botanicals, magic, astrology, & crystals, and share positive energy with their plants, “We like to think that they (their plants) live off of the energy that people bring in; if they’re having a bad day, we try to turn it around and make it a good day for them,” Cheryl imparted.
“We really want to be able to offer a little bit of something for everyone,” Tricia added, “Not everyone likes strong scents, so we try to give them something that’s more neutral.”
May 9th from 12 PM - 3 PM, Cute and Wicked Candles will hold a, “Mother’s Day Sip & Shop; An afternoon of music, wine, & shopping; Featuring Acoustic Duo Becca Frame & Brian Shafer; Complimentary Wine, Light Appetizers, Luxury Shopping Experience.”
Make sure to follow Cute & Wicked Candles and More on Facebook, at their website cutenwicked.com, and through Mountain Eagle Esperance Column updates they share (on page B7 weekly) to stay informed about many exciting new experiences and products they are planning to offer in the future as they continue to grow including grab and go smudge kits, holiday section and box announcements, Intentional Candles meant for prosperity & protection, rosemary to snip and replant at home, Tarot card readings, products that will allow Tricia to share her Hispanic culture with you, new & continued collaborations with local businesses like The Wandering Mystik (who previously worked together on Krampus & Samhain Candles, and to start creating beeswax taper candles), classes about candles, magical candles, and loose herb incense, and extended open days & hours if needed as they get busier.
“We’re trying to give more than what we want to take from people, you know, it’s just what we’re about,” shared Tricia, “We always say we are the tools and they are the magic. They create their own magic.”
Photo supplied by Cute and Wicked Candles shop owners Cheryl Burgin (left) and Tricia Burgin (right).
Catherine Brenz moved to the area in late November and has been looking forward to visiting Cute and Wicked Candles for the first time during their Grand Reopening after walking by their sign and following their page on Facebook. "This is so great to have something right here in Esperance!”
Cute and Wicked Candles reopened in their new location on April 2nd. Visit them at 152 Main Street, Suite 1, Esperance; Thursday - Saturday, 11 AM - 5 PM.
Brand new men’s product line that has everything you need for a full grooming kit. Sign reads, “Cute and Wicked Candles; Luxury Handcrafted; Signature Collection; Beard Oils, Artisan Candles, Botanical Body Care; Small Batch Craftsmanship.”
“Our Astrology Candles are handcrafted and made to order, created with intention and aligned to your birth month and astrological traits. Every candle features a carefully selected crystal associated with your zodiac sign, along with herbs traditionally used to symbolize love, protection, happiness, luck, and abundance. Lightly scented with Frankincense and Myrrh, these candles make a thoughtful birthday gift or a meaningful personal ritual candle.”
Highlighted candle of the month is Empowerment. “This candle was created to assist in helping release what has been holding you back.” Comes with a parchment paper to write your intentions on and is, “Embedded with Jasper for courage and strength, and Angel Aura Quartz for healing and raising vibration and clarity.” Affirmation: “I break free from the past; I stand in my power, and my new life begins now.”
