Small Business Saturday: Wicked Scents in Hoboken
As a lover of candles (it truly is a great gift), I have bought MANY candles for myself and others. Mostly myself. And of course when it comes to buying things I always want to shop local. Enter Wicked Scents in Hoboken, a one-stop-shop for all things that smell good.
Wicked Scents offers candles, diffusers, soap, bath bombs, essential oils, and more. Owner Miguel Goncalves opened his shop in April 2020 after leaving the corporate world behind.
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“I came up with the concept of my shop because I love candles and figured this would be a good opportunity to start my own thing and leave the corporate world. Working in the consumer packaged goods industry for 10 years focusing on retail I utilized my expertise to start a successful business. In terms of the design, I’ve seen certain stores be very successful in their own way and took learning from all of them and made my own creative concept and look. The murals on the walls were all hand-painted by a friend!”, Miguel told New Jersey Isn’t Boring.
After living in Hoboken for a year he fell in love with the city, and with commercial rental prices dropping he decided to take a chance and open his own business in his new hometown.
“I started the business during the pandemic because if there is anything I learned in life the time to pull the trigger is when everyone is afraid to. Things were uncertain, but commercial property rental prices were very cheap and this was a risk I was willing to take to pursue my dream of owning my own business.” He sees himself opening 2-3 more stores within a year and franchise down the line.
Wicked Scents carries a variety of candles from nationwide names like Yankee Candle to private labels like Lucid Flame Candle, a CT candle maker that sells exclusively at Wicked Scents (and whose “eucalyptus lavender” is their current best seller).
Miguel also sells a variety of “funny candles” which make great gifts including this candle from Whiskey River Soap that says it “smells like it’s from New Jersey
to other humorous candles from Funny Candle Co which proclaim “girls don’t poop”, “I’m not feeling very worky today”, and my personal favorite “let that sh*t go”.
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Miguel feels his store stands out because it’s an open concept, very welcoming, has an awesome vibe and music, and a diverse selection of candles with some selective staple brands and mostly local brands.
Local New Jersey brands include Surf’s Up Candle, Brittany Paige, Lucky Honeybee, Wythn, Lit Lab Co, and more.
For more information visit their Website, Facebook, and Instagram.
