New store specializing in candles, wax melts to open at Town Plaza

RJ Home Sense will be adding a touch of scent and shabby-chic glamour to Town Plaza, starting today.

The shop will specialize in hand-made candles and wax melts, co-owner Joseph Flood said.

�It basically started in our garage as a hobby,� Flood said. �We enjoy candles like everybody else does, but we wanted something more natural, organic.�

And, he said, it started growing �out of control.�

Flood and husband and co-owner Roy Hartle started selling their wax wares at farmers markets and craft shows.

�People loved them,� Flood said.

So they decided to open a store.

Several shelves are devoted to the duo�s handmade candles, �But if we were going to open a store, we needed more than candles,� Flood said.

He started making bath bombs, soaps, lotions, �all kinds of stuff,� he said.

The storefront, complete with wide front windows and gray walls lined in white shelving, is in the same building as Cape Girardeau�s license bureau.

An old ladder will be converted into a freestanding display unit, and a farmhouse-style table in the middle of the room will hold spices and other kitchen goods, Flood said.

And the mustard-yellow clawfoot bathtub will hold bath bombs and other luxury goods, he said.

But they�re carrying other product lines, too. Some wax burners and other pieces will be for sale, and a mannequin will hold handmade scarves.

And baby items, too: stuffed animals, diaper bags with hooks to hang from strollers, even baby bath items such as baby wash will be for sale.

Flood said the storefront in Town Plaza, at 59 S. Plaza Way, was appealing for several reasons.

�It seems like, for foot traffic, Town Plaza is the spot,� Flood said.

The landlord is working to make that area of Town Plaza more family friendly, too, Flood said.

�Hopefully that draws more businesses up over there,� he said.

Flood said he�s worked retail most of his life, most recently at Academy Sports for the past two years while making candles on the side with Hartle.

The store opens at 10 a.m. today.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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