It’s the holiday season, which is perhaps the ultimate occasion for mood-setting candles when hosting company — and, in the best instances, being transported by a nostalgic, delicious or nature-skewed scent.
At Loide & Co., Tanger Outlet’s newly opened non-toxic candle company, find your favorite fragrance to bring aromatic life to a space.
Owner Loide DiPippa uses a pure soy wax and eco-friendly cotton wicks, scented with non-toxic candle oil. Classic smells like cinnamon, vanilla and lavender fill the store’s shelves. DiPippa also makes tropical varieties, a limoncello creme candle and a cooling martini scent among others.
“Our candle tells a story but you have to unfold yours,” says DiPippa.
Candles are not the only thing you’ll find at the sleek, white-walled aroma hub. DiPippa also sells her own alcohol-free room spray made from a water-based formula blended with fragrance oils and odor-eliminating plant-based enzymes.
One unique highlight of the shop is the soap bar, where customers can fill — and return to refill — 8, 16 and 32-ounce glass bottles with vegan, biodegradable shampoo, dish soap and laundry detergent, all of which is free from dye, perfume, petroleum and other additives.
If you’re not in search of a nice-smelling product, DiPippa stocks handmade housewares and jewelry created by local vendors.
There is also a rotating schedule of in-store events like yoga, book clubs and workshops held in the boutique and back area behind the soap bar, which is updated on the store’s Instagram.
It’s been a wild ride since the business’ beginning. In 2020, DiPippa started pouring candles in her kitchen, inspired by the warmth and tranquility she feels being surrounded by candles at church.
This feel-good dream of hers was put on hold when her husband was diagnosed by kidney disease. DiPippa was by his side through the long recovery after receiving a kidney transplant. Once he was back on his feet, she returned to her passion project in 2022, hand-pouring in her kitchen and, eventually, her in-home studio.
She started selling candles at the Babylon Farmer’s Market and later online.
“I would come home with like $20 and I didn’t care, I was so happy,” says DiPippa. “It was the most rewarding thing knowing that somebody believed in you.”
When the opportunity arose to open a storefront this year, she was thrilled at the prospect of giving people a place to find peace in her products and to create connections through it.
She still hand-pours many of her candles, now at a studio at the store instead of at home.
When she’s not at the storefront she works in healthcare, a field where she’s seen a need for self-care.
“I think that something that we forget as humans is that we have to take care of our bodies and care of ourselves as humans,” says DiPippa, “because it’s going to affect you sooner or later.”
Learn more about DiPippa, the shop and her unique, handmade candles here.
