Bayard Candle Co. welcomes foot traffic at new Williamston location

2020 was a good year for Ken and Merri Bayard, or at least it was for their fledgling candle company.

The sudden boom in online shopping lit up their Bayard Candle Co., founded in 2018 and run from their basement, for a national audience. With “zero overhead,” the Bayards were able to grow the company quickly, reinvesting their sudden profits.

It’s thanks to that bit of luck, Ken said, that they were able to open up a physical storefront in Williamston last year. And after a year in that “low-traffic shoebox” on the second floor of their former building, the Bayards finally turned their basement business into a storefront in downtown Williamston last week.

On Saturday, Bayard Candle Co. opened its doors on Grand River Avenue, in the former Botany Boutique. The shop carries an ever-expanding selection of scented soy candles, along with soaps, lotion bars, lip balms, fragrances, sugar scrubs and even beard care products, as well as offering candlemaking classes.

It’s exciting for the Bayards, after getting their start online and honing their wares at Michigan craft shows, to have a spot that brings in foot traffic in downtown Williamston.

“There were lots of people walking by, stopping, looking, peeking in” at the grand opening, Merri said. “There’s been a lot of interest. We’re really excited.”

The Bayards make soy candles with cotton or wooden wicks, using scent formulas devised by Ken through trial and error. The original six dessert-inspired scents have expanded into an array of options, inspired by everything from foods to emotions. There are even some more out-there candles, like pizza or beer, for folks looking for quirky scents.

Lately, Ken has been fixated on nostalgic memories, seeking to “touch on somebody’s emotions” with childhood-evoking scents like “granddad’s pipe” and “campfire.”

People interested in mixing their own scents will enjoy the candle-making classes, which cost $39.50 per person. Classes take up to an hour and typically include eight people, so large groups can book a private class and smaller groups will join others. Since candles take an hour or so to set after pouring, Merri suggested groups pick out a restaurant to eat at while they dry.

While customers across the country can still order Bayard candles, Ken and Merri are excited to target a specific audience in a place where they feel accepted among other local artisans and specialty shops.

“That’s basically what Williamston shopping has become. It’s an artist’s location,” Ken said. “Any one of these shops, you can walk in and there’s an artist of some sort.”