Lauri and Matt Spitz asked themselves how living on the North Fork made them feel. They then captured that feeling in their candles.
The Spitzes are both makers. The couple are both self-taught artists and always are eager to create something new whether it’s learning how to make bath bombs or smith jewelry out of silver.
The idea for North Fork Candles, their most recent venture, came about late last year.
“I’ve always loved candles and had them in my house,” said Lauri. “This past December we had a table at a pop-up event in Greenport where we were selling bath bombs and room sprays and we thought that candles were the natural next step. I thought to myself, ‘How hard could it be?’”
Since then, the Spitzes have learned everything there is to know about making candles. They studied scent combinations and what vessels were best to present their candles in.
“It’s a lot of trial and error,” said Matt. “We had to decide what waxes would be best and what scents would go well together. You can’t really understand what things smell like until you try it out yourself.”
Prior to this artistic endeavor, the couple owned Moustache Brewing Co. in Riverhead until 2021, however, their candle scents commemorate some of their popular brews.
“A lot of the candle names were inspired by the beer we used to sell, like Wanderlust,” said Lauri. “We also repurposed one of our old home brew kettles into a wax melting pot. It came in handy and can hold eight gallons of wax.”
Currently, the line consists of eight different candles all inspired by the different feelings they get from living on the North Fork. Think of each as a love letter to the local area.
Lo-Fi Sunrays is described as energizing, refreshing and invigorating and gives notes of bright lemon verbena and warm vanilla. Wanderlust, scented with lavender, grapefruit and mint, is described as refreshing, complex and distinctive.
“We decided to describe the emotions rather than the scents on our candle labels because everyone is different, especially when it comes to what nose smells,” said Matt. “For me, it’s not about recreating the scent of the beach or walking around town. Rather, we’re trying to capture that feeling you get being here. For example, Sound Song is relaxing, transportive and soothing. It has notes of lavender which bring a sense of peace, like what I feel at the Lavender Farms out here.”
These thoughtful candles are hand-poured and 100% soy wax, guaranteeing a long-lasting burn. Everything is crafted and packaged right in the couple’s home – Lauri’s office was converted into a scent mixing space and the neighboring room is now where the candles are mixed, wicked, poured and packaged.
You can bring the scents of the North Fork into your home by ordering at nofocandles.com, visiting Arni Paperie in Southold, or at North Fork Candles’ upcoming pop-up at übergeek Brewing Co.’s Mother’s Day event on Sunday, May 14.
