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August 22, 2022 (Tysons Corner, VA)

A Local Kid-Entrepreneur To Open Space at Tysons Corner Center 

Vienna-Based Smell of Love Candles Opens September 1

August 22, 2022 (Tysons Corner, VA) – From the kitchen to a kiosk, a local candle business that started on a kitchen stove and moved into a home basement is making its way to one of the largest shopping centers in Virginia. A Vienna-based, non-GMO soy and coconut wax candle company, Smell of Love Candles, will open its first brick and mortar spot in Tysons Corner Center on Thursday, September 1, 2022.

Smell of Love Candles started as an online shop during the pandemic and has rapidly grown since it launched in September 2020. Known as the “KIDpreneur”, Alejandro Buxton, along with the help of his family, transitioned the business from curating candles on the kitchen stove to moving production in their home basement to a studio space and was recently offered a kiosk space for lease in Tysons Corner Center. His candle creations became a popular hit at area artisan markets and special events and recently received national attention when Vice President Kamala Harris and First Gentlemen Douglas Emhoff, paid a visit to his booth in December of last year at the DC Downtown Holiday Market.  Alejandro launched the business to achieve three goals; to buy more books, save money for college (he dreams of attending Duke University), and to help those in need by donating a portion of the profits earned through his candle business. 

Tysons Corner Center was so inspired by Alejandro’s entrepreneurial spirit and creativity and the story around how he got started, that the center offered his small business the opportunity to have production space and a kiosk location inside the center. 

“To be able to showcase our candles inside Tysons Corner is amazing. My mom grew up in this mall, this is where our family still shops today, and to be able to bring our candles here feels surreal,” says CEO, Alejandro. 

“Tysons Corner Center is thrilled to support entrepreneurs like Alejandro and his Smell of Love Candles business with this special opportunity to showcase their brand in one of the nation’s most popular shopping destinations,” says Jesse Benites, General Manager of Tysons Corner Center. “This is especially exciting for us since it is the first time the center has a kid entrepreneur brand lease space at our property. He will certainly inspire many budding kid entrepreneurs to follow their passion and believe where it might take them.”

Smell of Love Candles hand picks each scent and test burns new creations prior to moving a candle into production for sale. Because of this selection process, they work closely with fragrance suppliers who share the same passion for quality, and ethical sourcing, and only use phthalate-free fragrances that have been tested to perform best in soy wax candles. Fragrances are blended to create intriguing scents that are signature to their products. Getting creative is how Smell of Love Candles discovers blends that are just perfect. Their soy candles are hand poured into reusable jars or tins that can be repurposed into keeping small items such as pencils or paper clips, used for other crafts or a stylish glass plant pot.

The Smell of Love Candles kiosk will offer featured products, such as seasonal candles, kiosks exclusive scents, their signature candle collection, as well as Alejandro’s little sister’s soaps and sugar scrubs, who is following in her big brother’s footsteps and is passionate about handmaking bath and body products.

For opening weekend taking place September 1st through September 5th, in-person customers who shop the Smell of Love Candle’s kiosk will be entered into a giveaway to win free candles for a year. Winners will be allowed to visit the kiosk and pick one candle of their choice once a month for an entire year.  A ribbon cutting is set for 10 a.m on September 1st. 

CEO and founder of Smell of Love Candles, Alejandro, will be present at the kiosk located between Victoria’s Secret and Banana Republic on the second floor for the following dates to greet and thank customers for their support.

Friday, September 2: 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 

Saturday, September 3: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 4: 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Monday, September 5: 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. 

Alejandro is also the founder of the YouTube channel: Lessons from a Kidpreneur, where he shares his entrepreneurial journey, tips on candle making with natural waxes, and business lessons learned as he runs his business.

For more information on Smell of Love Candles and products visit smelloflovecandles.com.

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