You simply know when you know. “My family moved us to Cape Ann when I was about ten,” explains Christina Willcox, owner of Rockport Candle Company. “I lived in Rockport until I graduated from high school. Shortly after that, we moved along to other places and I remember being devastated. I thought we had found ‘the place,’ the one that had definitely stolen my heart.” Willcox left Rockport yet Rockport’s impact never left her.
“Once I started a family, I would bring each one of my kids to Rockport just to plant their feet in the sand and show them where Mommy’s from.…I held onto the idea I was picturing, raising our family the way I had been raised in Rockport…being part of a community that looked out for each other and where my kids had the freedom to bike and walk all over. And the beauty, I really missed the beauty and living by the sea. So, we found our way back in 2012. Rockport Candle Company was born out of my joy at returning and about being in what I thought was a dream, a happy place that I thought would never be attainable. That’s why Rockport Candle Company is designed around the sea, being inspired by the sea, and the special place that Rockport is.”
While happy to be back on Cape Ann, Willcox really didn’t have a master plan in mind, candle or otherwise. Yet the combination of being “home” again and establishing community led Willcox to dream bigger. “The beach is my happy place…and New England through the seasons. It’s just so special to move through all four seasons in a small New England town. I wanted something that captures New England for when you return home.” A plan began to take shape while driving around town. Rockport’s shops are so enticing, everyone wants to see inside. While trying on the role of shopkeeper, something clicked. “There was a draw there…” Willcox wanted to run a business in her town. The community was calling her. While the storefront was easily found, the challenging part was what to do with it? “I don’t have any experience making candles. It didn’t start as a hobby…it was a business idea.” Then the revelation—Willcox could capture her love for Cape Ann in wax and scents. Scents inspired by Cape Ann and its characteristics. “To be able to express a love of place and love of something through fragrance. That’s very cool. They say that the sense of smell is more closely related to your emotions and memories than any of our other senses.” Willcox set out to prove it and the work began.
Willcox’s skill set has been selftaught yet she’ll admit that the learning curve required “a lot of trial and error. There are hundreds of different waxes, so many kinds of wicks. The same with fragrances.…We ended up choosing a soy wax which is great at holding fragrance throughout the life of the candle and a cotton wick.…We focused on container candles and tried blending different waxes. We developed something that we’re proud of.” Willcox’s home provided the test kitchen and once the store was leased, during winter 2016, it was time to master her new profession. Her goal was clear: “to make a quality product that represented Rockport and to share our love of the ocean and small town New England.” By Fourth of July weekend that year, Willcox was ready to open. “I worked hard to pour enough candles to fill our little shop with different scents and colors of our original line. And that first weekend, it wiped me out. And it dawned on me, ‘I have to make a lot more candles.’” Hard work pays off. Ever business-savvy, Willcox also recognized her chosen product required frequent replenishment which has led to reliable sales and repeat customers.
The shop is open year-round, like much of greater Cape Ann, and has added a make-your-own candle experience which has been wildly popular. “People are making memories with their loved ones by blending their own scent and making the candle on site. We have forty different fragrances in house that you can blend. You decide what you want your candle to remind you of. Could be your grandmother’s kitchen, your dad’s favorite chair.” The shop’s signature line centers around the ocean with scents including Sea Captain—and no, “he doesn’t smell like fish bait,” Willcox laughs. “He’s a white uniformed sea captain, all clean and fresh, ready for a night on the town. We matched scents with names that we had already chosen. I wanted a scent that tells the story of a Mermaid so I started with a base of light florals, added seaweed and sea grasses and then a hint of musk because I picture her to be a mysterious creature.” Other creative scents are found in the shop’s New Englandah Collection, including Sweatah Weathah, Wicked Smaht and Medium Regulah.
So, candles are their own language? “Yes!,” Willcox replies. “A language or a connection that brings you joy.” And one that brings you home.
