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Urban Glow Candle Co., at 623 St. Joseph St., will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, July 12. The business gives people the opportunity to create customized coconut soy candles in vessels and scents they choose. During Urban Glow Candle Co.ā€™s grand opening, walk-ins are welcome from 1 to 5 p.m. to explore the shop and try candle-pouring for themselves.

From 1 p.m. until the food is gone, will offer complimentary samples of its food at the Urban Glow Candle Co.ā€™s grand opening. Bookieā€™s Q, a new soul food eatery in Rapid City, will have its own grand opening July 27.

Urban Glow Candle Co. owner Sarah McCormick visited a similar business in Denver and enjoyed it so much she decided to bring creative, calming candle-pouring to Rapid City.

ā€œI love candles. I burn them all the time, so (candle-pouring) was something I loved,ā€ she said. ā€œIt was almost like Christmas when I got my finished candle I made. It smelled amazing. I couldnā€™t wait to light it.ā€

Candle-pouring at Urban Glow Candle Co. is an experience, she said. Customers begin by choosing a single, double or triple-wick candle vessel from the variety of shapes and textures in the shop. Next, customers select pre-measured wax that fits the size of their vessel and decide on a fragrance. Some fragrances will be limited editions, so customers can continually find new scent choices.

Customers sit down in front of a warmer where they melt the wax. They blend in fragrance and place the wicks themselves. A flip-book guide takes people step by step through the process.

Customers can create their own labels, too, to put the finishing touch on each candle. Two hours later, they can return to pick up their finished candle.

The entire process is designed so the consistency of each candle is mixed correctly, ensuring a good candle every time, McCormick said.

Eco-friendliness is an important component of Urban Glow Candle Co. McCormick offers repouring, an option that lets customers reuse empty jars and containers from other candles. McCormick will refill customersā€™ candle containers, or customers can pour their own.

ā€œI wanted a way for people to come in and ā€¦ reuse old containers, and it gives you a similar (candle-pouring) experience,ā€ she said.

Scented or unscented wax is available for all candles.

ā€œI did a lot of research into what the best eco-friendly was ā€¦ and I found coconut soy wax to be the best selection. It has a really clean burn and it lasts a bit longer, and when youā€™re working with it (pouring candles), itā€™s a lot easier to work with and when it sets, it has a nice finish,ā€ McCormick said. ā€œItā€™s all-around great.ā€

The shop is open for walk-ins and people who want repoured candles between 1 and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

Candle-pouring is something McCormick envisions that friends or family can do together, or it could be a fun activity for date nights, bachelorette parties, or even team-building for businesses. Customers can book candle-pouring sessions at 6 and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

Whether people are treating themselves to a special candle or making a gift for someone else, McCormick aims to give customers a ā€œcalm, set aside your phone, grab a drink, tune out and create something really specialā€ experience.

“It’s not just an in-person experience. There’s an online component (at .) You can design a candle online and go through this form of selecting a scent, you can select vessels and then go into a label customization process,” McCormick said.

McCormick, who also works for Frontier Creative in Rapid City, envisions marketing possibilities for customized candles.

ā€œI have the ability to work with a business if they wanted to have their own branded candles to sell or give for client gifts, or maybe realtors (to give) first-time home buyers,ā€ she said.

Urban Glow Candle Co. carries merchandise, too, such as shirts, hoodies, candlesticks, stickers, candle care kits and matchbooks. The shop also sells four signature scented candles McCormick created.

ā€œIā€™m taking a big-city concept and trying to bring it here to a community that I love thatā€™s been super supportive of me,ā€ McCormick said. ā€œIā€™m really excited.ā€

Follow Urban Glow Candle Co. on Instagram @urban_glow_candle_co or on Facebook for more information.