Vendor Spotlight: 2 Dogs Candle Co.

Roughly six years ago, Brian Leverton of 2 Dogs Candle Co. purchased a candle for himself and his wife to enjoy at home. But after lighting the candle, it didn't burn properly; instead of burning out, it burnt right down the middle. Brian decided to take the candle to a local shop in St. Mary's (Village Craft & Candle) to find out why the candle burned improperly, where they explained the problem. "They put too small of a wick in it, so it couldn't create enough heat," Brian explained. The owners suggested that Brian and his wife take their candle making course to learn more, and after finishing the course they had some finished candles. "My daughter at the time was living in Yellow Knife so she took a few [candles] back there, and then she said 'Can you send me up some more?', and it just kind of grew from there." 

Starting out with four scents, 2 Dogs Candle Co. now offers almost 60 different scents, including seasonal scents for spring, fall, Christmas, and more. As for the name of the company, Brian's daughter had a hand in inspiring that too. "We had two other [business] names that we wanted, but they were taken, so my daughter just said to me, 'Why don't you name it after your dogs', and I thought that was a good idea," Brian said with a smile. "At the time we had two dogs, so that is just kind of how it happened." 

After living in Yellow Knife, Brian's daughter moved to Iqaluit, and then Ottawa, bringing Brian's candles with her each time. "The people that are still living in the areas will put in the odd order here and there," said Brian. "We ship Canada-wide, but we did have one candle taken to Taiwan as part of a care package." It is incredible to know that some hand-poured and crafted candles from St. Thomas have travelled across Canada (and internationally) through community connections made from just one person! 

Originally, Brian and his wife didn't think they would make a formal business out of the candle making; he was working full time as a fire investigator and his wife as a golf course superintendent. "We just thought we'll make a few and see how it goes," said Brian. They did a craft show in their second or third year, then a local company asked them about making bulk orders. "And I'm thinking like 50, right; she wanted 650," Brian said. "[At the time] I made a lot of them in a room [in their house] upstairs, so I said yeah I can but you're gonna have to give me some time!" They did - and Brian and his wife got all 650 candles done, and also shifted their production studio down to their garage. 

What started as a personal project officially shifted to a small business, and 2 Dogs Candle Co. has been hand pouring candles in St. Thomas ever since. In addition to the quality of their candles and wicks, Brian also wanted to make sure that their products were pet friendly, which comes down to the scents used in the candles and wax melts. 

"We use fragrance oils and not essential oils," Brian explained. "When we took the [candle making course] they told us that if we have pets we should use fragrance oils, but if you aren't concerned about that then essential oils are fine." Having dogs at home, Brian and his wife understandably wanted them to be safe to burn around them. Initially they didn't even think to market the candles as pet friendly, until Vicki Asher (an incredible previous Horton Market Coordinator) suggested they market their products as pet friendly. 

In addition to candles and wax melts, 2 Dogs Candle Co. also makes room sprays (made with the same pet friendly fragrance oils), and this year they have partnered with a soap maker from Windsor to make some dog friendly soap bars.

2 Dogs Candle Co. attended one of their first markets right here at Horton, and have been coming back seasonally ever since. "They [Horton] treat you good," Brian smiled. "The hours are good, the vendors are like your friends and family. It's a nice change of pace." The community reception to their products has also been positive. "It's been really good," Brian proudly said. 

In addition to their pop-ups at Horton, 2 Dogs Candle Co. products can also be found at Canadale Nurseries, Geerlinks Home Hardware, Mistyglen Creamery and DeBackere Farm Market (who are also two fabulous local farm vendors at Horton), Sunset Pharmacy, Thomas Brothers Market (in London), and the St. Thomas Pet Value, as well as online orders. They will also be vending at the 2025 Pawlooza event in London (a must-see event for all dog owners and lovers) and Wildflowers Farm Market this summer. 

2 Dogs Candle Co. will likely be back at Horton around Thanksgiving with their popular fall scents, so be sure to follow them to stay up-to-date on their market schedules and scent releases. In addition to their online orders (depending on the order size and location), Brian and his wife are also happy to do free local deliveries - connect with them for more information!

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Paige Palmer, Marketing Assistant

Paige is a proud recent graduate of Western University's Media and Communications (MACS) program and King's University College's Thanatology program. Born and raised in Elgin County, Paige loves connecting with local people and businesses to tell their stories and promote their hard work. A previous St. Thomas Parks and Forestry summer student, Paige also loves exploring local parks and trails, and promoting the incredible work of the Parks and Forestry department, while capturing some beautiful pictures along the way. ​