Made in the Carolinas: We Took to the Woods

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - This local shop has a scent for every season.

Hidden in our own backyard, We Took to the Woods, tucked away on Stone Avenue in Greenville, is gaining global attention.

“We realize the power of scent. There are times where you encounter a scent that immediately takes you somewhere,” Denise Corey said.

Co-owner, Denise Corey said the retail shop celebrates every changing season with familiar comforts.

“The whole idea behind We Took to the Woods is that when you go and spend time in the woods, its the first place that introduces the next season,” Corey said.

From sight to touch, to sound and smell, every sense is immersed in the shop’s ascetic.

“I’ve experienced that. You walk into a room or you walk outside one day and your mind just immediately takes you back to a memory from your childhood, or maybe it’s something at your grandmother’s house, or a store you went into, or just some moment in your life that you hadn’t thought about until you smelled that scent,” Corey said.

In one decade, Corey has gone from pouring candles in her kitchen to her team developing three signature lines with several dozen scents.

“We Took to the Woods is our original candle line that we started out with. We started out with eight scents and worked our way up to ten. We also have We Took to the Coast and then there’s another line called Old Man Mckittrick’s.”

It all started here and is still handcrafted here in Greenville.

“We have a far reach but we’re really small. We know from start to finish everything that goes into that product because we’ve touched it, we’ve sourced it,” Corey said, “Everything is done by hand. The tree gets applied by hand. Obviously, the candle is poured by hand. All the labels are handwritten with their scent on them. Everything is done by hand, by us, right up the road.”

The candles are now sold around the globe.

“We have accounts all over the country, from Texas all the way up to Maine,” Corey said, “We have shops in Japan, the UK, Sweden, France, and Korea.”

Corey said it’s all about sharing an experience and a piece of the Carolinas with people near and far.

“To see something we’re producing resonate and bring joy to people not just here in Greenville, but people all across the world, I just think that’s cool, its pretty neat,” Corey said.

The candles are sold at We Took to the Woods on Stone Avenue in Greenville. You can also find them at online and at local boutiques and businesses.

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