Business: Sea Love Naperville
Address: 120 Water St., Naperville
Phone/website: 630-995-3018, www.sealovenaperville.com
Owners: Shefali and Kal Patel, of Plainfield
Years in business: Opened Sept. 16
What do you do? “We are an experienced-based retail boutique. People come in, learn the art of scent blending and create their own candle or reed diffuser,” Shefali Patel, 47, said.
What’s a reed diffuser? “Say you’re in an office or dorm room where you can’t light candles, you can do a reed diffuser. You don’t light it. You put the reeds on top and the fragrance comes through the wood reeds.”
How many scents do you offer? “We have 107 to be exact.”
What’s the Sea Love story? “This is a franchise. We are the first in the Midwest. It’s based in Kennebunkport, Maine. We are their fifth location.”
Why do you choose this business? “One of the things that drew us to this franchise is they are very committed to clean, all-natural (materials) to ensure all their scents, products, the wax are free of any carcinogens, toxins. … So, it’s very safe around animals, kids, anyone who has asthma.”
What else do you do? “I’m a dentist. I practice in Plainfield. Ivory Dental. My husband is a physician, internal medicine. We’ve shared a building for over 20 years. … We have two teenage boys. One of the reasons we started this was because of them. We did a similar (candle making) experience in Indianapolis. … Lo and behold, I can’t tell you what an incredible experience they had from start to finish. They loved everything from picking out scents to the vessel. When we got home, they were excited to light the candles. … We created wonderful memories for our family that didn’t just include going out to dinner.”
How’s it going so far? “We’ve had so many people come in. … We’ve had a lot of reservations, group outings, friends’ night, or family members who have come in, girls’ night out, date nights. We’re getting a lot of bookings with corporate events. … We will be able to serve liquor starting Nov. 1. We have our license. Beer, wine and (hard) seltzers. We can seat up to 16 people at the bar for a group.”
What happens when someone books a time? “The reservation is for one hour. You come in with your group. … Our team members are here to help guide you through the process. We take you to our scent wall first. We tell people to browse around. Smell the cork, not the wax. That will give you a better idea of what the candle will smell like when you light it at home.”
Must you be in a group? “No. People can walk in.”
What are some of the scents? “We have snow, dark chocolate, tomato, all kinds. One that is really great is called barber shop. It smells really clean. … Just in time for the holidays, balsam fir.”
Can you blend scents? “That’s the whole idea. … We do have a little cheat sheet.”
What else is available? “Car diffusers, which are really nice. You remove the plug, put the cover back on.”
Like the little trees hanging off rearview mirrors? “Exactly, but these don’t punch you in the face like those.”
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What’s the price? “It ranges from $42 to $56 depending on the size of the candle.”
How do you make a candle? “We pour out pre-measured amounts of hot wax. First you put the wick in, then the scents, then pour the wax, then use a wood stirrer to mix the scents with the wax for two minutes. Two minutes is important. You don’t want air bubbles. … We have labels you can put on the candle. … If you want to re-use the vessel, we give you $5 off your next experience.”
What do employees say? “It’s fun working here,” Emely Aguilar, 25, of Woodridge, said. “There’s a lot of variations. People have fun with picking the vessels,” Allison Carter, 23, of Lisle, said.
Is Naperville a good location for business? “It’s fantastic,” Patel said.
Why do you like this business? “I love dentistry, but unlike dentistry — when people don’t like to come in — people love to come in here.”
Any favorite stories? “The day we opened, a family of six walked in. They had outdoor plans. The weather was bad. … They were here from California, staying at the Hotel Indigo. … They had a fantastic time.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Always remember to have more faith in yourself than what you may hear other people tell you.”
If you know of a business you’d like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Steve Metsch at [email protected].
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.