Chestnut Hill Candle Company at the top of the Northern Panhandle illuminates its community.
written by CHRISTY PERRY TOUHEY
photographed by CARLA WITT FORD
Certain scents conjure up seasonal or holiday memories. A whiff of crisp apples mixed with cranberry or clove brings autumn homecomings to mind. Cedar, pine, and bayberry smells usher us into winter holidays. And with just the strike of a match, you can fill a room with festive aromas crafted in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.
As Emmy Severs tells it, her parents—Missy and Dave Severs—were working as an RN and a salesman in the early 2000s when candle making came into their lives. After Severs was born, her father decided that traveling for work interfered with enjoying her first year. Meanwhile, her mother’s love of Yankee Candles filled their house with comforting fragrances. As the glass-jar candles collected in their Chester home, they wondered if they could make their own more affordable candles.
The couple experimented with wax, wicks, and scents in their basement. Severs, now 24, recalls a home video taken around that time: her mom, nine months pregnant with second daughter Ally, faces the camera as she pours candles for a local fundraiser. A family friend offered to sell the Severses’ candles at her workplace, and when the basket was returned empty, the candle hobbyists knew they were on to something.
Their candle formula perfected—a clean-burning, natural soy blend—they launched Chestnut Hill Candle Company. In 2003, the company moved operations from their home to a rented room in the City of Chester Municipal Building. Severs and her sister would take the bus to the office after school. “I’d sit there and hang out while my dad was pouring candles,” she remembers.
Although she grew up around the candle business, Severs wanted to be an elementary school teacher. But in her junior year at West Virginia University, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted her studies. “I was so bored that I started my own little business,” she says. She created Lemon Milk Paper Co in April 2020 and began selling stationery online and in retail shops.
Severs earned a degree in entrepreneurship and went to work for the family business right after graduation. She now heads up the company’s sales and marketing, while her sister is in charge of processing and operations. Dad handles manufacturing; Mom runs the Chester retail shop and is the creative force behind candle names.
There are more than 115 Chestnut Hill candle fragrances. The company’s best seller is its 16-ounce Farmhouse candle, which emits clove, cinnamon, and vanilla scents.Other products include wax potpourri, outdoor-only citronella candles, and air fresheners.
Chestnut Hill candles light up homes around the world—the Severses ship products from the Chester warehouse to points across the globe. Despite its worldwide reach, Severs says the company’s primary focus is local, and its bread and butter is fundraising projects. “We’ve done fundraising with schools, churches, pet rescues, dance teams—you name it.”
Chestnut Hill also brings other local businesses together for events. The company’s Halloween-themed Ghouls Day is a collaborative effort, drawing foot traffic and economic benefits to the small town. “Our business wouldn’t be what it is without my mom and dad,” says Severs. “I would hope that it’s impacted our local economy, for sure.” 253 Carolina Avenue, Chester, chestnuthillcandle.com, @chestnuthillcandlecompany on FB
This story was updated from the version in our Winter 2024 print edition to correct the year Chestnut Hill Candle Company moved to the City of Chester Municipal Building.
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM WV LIVING’S WINTER 2024 ISSUE
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