1. HOME
  2.  | 
  3. Featured
  4.  | Candlemaker Opens Studio for DIY Experiences

Candlemaker Opens Studio for DIY Experiences

by | Nov 26, 2024 | Featured, News, Small Business

By adding homemade jars to his production line, Chester Mainot outgrew the workshop where Get Scent started, in the home of his mother (seen reflected in the mirror).

Photo Credit: Alaska Business

Mom can have her living room back. Four years after Chester Mainot launched his Get Scent candle business, cramming his work bench and inventory storage next to the sofa and easy chair, he’s opening a new storefront.

Get Scent now has a studio in Midtown Anchorage, at the corner of Arctic Boulevard and International Airport Road. Mainot’s growth is an example of an Alaskan cottage crafter expanding into an experiential business model.

Coinciding with 4th Anniversary

“If it’s a good scent, I have it,” says Mainot. His flagship products are scented soy wax candles in glass jars. He’s also begun making concrete jars in silicone molds. Get Scent also sells wax melts, reed diffusers, and room sprays, which can spread fragrance without an open flame. He’s also developing new products: lotion bars and sand candles, which can be easily poured into different containers.

Despite the emphasis on olfactory décor, the atmosphere in the studio is not overpowering. Mainot chooses fragrances carefully, so his candles are gentle on the nose.

Current Issue

Alaska Business December 2024 Cover

December 2024

Opening the studio coincides with Get Scent’s 4th anniversary celebration. Mainot found himself with spare time during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, so he taught himself to blend fragrances and make candles.

When interviewed for This Alaska Business three years ago, Mainot was still working in his mother’s house in the Spenard neighborhood, but he was breaking even financially. Most of his sales are online, and some products are stocked at retailers such as Buzzwinkle’s Bazaar and Tier 1 Cards and Games. And Mainot is always busy at markets and festivals.

Opening a storefront is “moving up in the world,” he says, with the bonus of giving his regular customers a place to shop without waiting for a market event.

Although he is opening in time for the start of holiday shopping, the studio won’t be where Mainot sells candles on the weekend after Thanksgiving. He’s committed to the craft market at the Anchorage Museum, one of his favorite vendor fairs. As soon as that’s done, he’ll hold a grand opening at the studio.

The deal came together in less than a month. In October, he was discussing his options with a commercial real estate agent who regularly buys batches of candles as gifts for clients. They figured that Mainot could afford the investment. It was then a question of where.

The strip mall at Arctic and International is close to home, and it’s surprisingly bustling. Mainot says, “Every time I come here, the parking lot is always busy. There’s a lot of food places here, and people always go for food. The foot traffic is good.”

Where Minds Come Together

Chester Mainot says he’s excited to move Get Scent out of his mother’s house and into a space large enough to share with other artists.

Photo Credit: Alaska Business

Mainot emphasizes that the shop is not just an outlet for Get Scent products. “I call it the studio because that’s where crafters, artists—brilliant, genius, insane minds come together to build something,” he says.

The studio has space for a candle bar, where Mainot will show customers how to pour their own candles and mix their own scents. There’s also a table where customers can paint their own jars. Mainot says, “I want it to be a space where everyone is welcome.”

Moving out of his mother’s living room allows space for other crafters to teach classes: jewelry, beading, gardening, whatever. Mainot is offering the first session for free before charging guest artists a fee. He also picked out a spot for a piano to provide live music. Mainot envisions “a place where all my musician friends can hang out with me and play some music—and also make money.”

Mainot is setting aside shelf space for consignments from local vendors. On opening day, Sarah O’Brien of Arctic Blossom Crochet arrived with a batch of delicate baskets perfectly sized for Get Scent candle jars.

For now, Mainot is a one-man show, making and selling all his wares with occasional help from family and friends. His main occupation is still in the IT field, and he takes time to sing with Anchorage Opera and Midnight Sons Chorus.

“Trust your dreams. Trust yourself. You can do it. That’s how you persevere,” Mainot says. “I had fun making this business from the beginning until now. Making it brick-and-mortar is a dream come true.”

Related Articles
Alaska Business Magazine December 2024 cover
In This Issue
Healthcare Special Section + Corporate Citizenship
December 2024
December is the Alaska Business wellness issue, looking at what it takes to support healthy lives and healthy communities. In addition to several healthcare and corporate citizenship articles, this issue also highlights two unique Alaska industries: oil and gas and marijuana, both of which reached ten-year milestones in 2024 and are propping up—in their own way—Alaskans and their communities. Enjoy!
Share This