Editor's note: This story has been updated to correctly reflect Monique Parker's name.

When Monique Parker picked up candle-making during the pandemic, she never guessed her hobby would turn into a full-blown business.

"Like a lot of creatives, I was spending a lot of money and giving away the candles for free," Parker said.

Now, her Leander-based fragrance bar, Blow Candle Co., sells a variety of scented products, such as room sprays, diffuser sticks and body mists, while offering workshops where others can create their own candles.

The overview


In addition to hosting weekly workshops and events in the 2,500-square-foot warehouse location, Blow Candle Co. also partners with local businesses to offer wholesale private labeling and custom-designed scents for special events.

On Friday afternoons, the warehouse is open for shoppers.

What's special

"Our biggest thing is creating blends that are made to do more than just smell nice in a room. They're really placemaking; they are creating a vibe or a feeling in that space," Parker said.


Parker said she likes to create scent combinations that are multilayered, instead of resting on just one note.

"Our crowd favorite for spring is the Peony and Teakwood candle," she said. "It's a soft floral with the teakwood on the back, and there's a little bit of champagne in it. It gives you that bougie self-care spring feeling."

The impact

Parker said a large part of her business mission is supporting other local entrepreneurs in their craft, especially women and nonbinary creatives. In Fall 2024, she plans to start pooling a portion of her quarterly profits to a creative scholarship fund.


"I definitely see us becoming the creative oasis in Leander. ... For me, as a business owner, success doesn't necessarily mean killing it month over month in revenues. We have so much opportunity to engage the community and make space for other people who want to share their craft," Parker said.

In the future, Parker hopes to begin offering other types of craft workshops taught by visiting and local artists.

Another detail

All candles at Blow Candle Co. are made of nontoxic coconut wax.


"It's not only really clean burning, but it's also more sustainable than other waxes that are not as environmentally friendly to source," Parker said.