Page & Flame brings readers, candle lovers together in downtown Landrum
Amanda Edwards’ long-time hobby has blossomed into a new multi-faceted business in downtown Landrum.
Edward’s hypoallergenic candle line Green Creek Candle Company’s claim to fame started with a dissatisfied crime thriller reader.
“I follow Jeneva Rose, the author, on TikTok, and she had a disgruntled reader named Scott email her six times telling her to stop writing, that she was a terrible writer,” Edwards said. “So, she would start these cute videos with something good that happened, and then she would say, ‘Scott, probably hates this.’”
Edwards, who had been making candles for family and friends for years and had started selling to customers at the Landrum Farmer’s Market with her husband, David, that summer, decided to make a special candle to commemorate the joke, called Scott Probably Hates This Candle, in October.
“I sent it to her just as a joke. I wasn’t expecting her to actually make video (about it),” Edwards said
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Green Creek Candle Company went viral overnight.
“We’ve sold, like, over a thousand Scott candles,” Edwards said.
Edwards began selling her candles at the Shops at LAM last July and has now expanded her business to a storefront inside the antique mall.
The bigger space has allowed her to share another of her passions with the Landrum community: books.
Edwards said the book and candle shop has been well received, estimating that more than 100 people came to its opening on April 6.
“I love how it's just bringing the community together, and people are saying how happy they are that we have a bookstore again,” Edwards said.
Bestsellers and BookTok darlings
Page & Flame’s collection of books is highly curated, because of space constraints, said Edwards, but includes books from almost every genre.
“And if anyone wants any particular books that I don’t have, I will special order it for them,” Edwards said.
She describes her stock as a mix of Southern Independent Booksellers Association recommendations, popular reads in the Instagram and TikTok book communities, and indie authors.
Edwards is also a writer working on a new adult fantasy book.
“I believe that there are stories that need to be told that aren’t necessarily picked up by a traditional publisher. Just as a writer myself, I know how hard it is to crack into that industry and I like to support people who want to tell a story,” Edwards said. “I am discerning. I do require an author to send it to me so that I can make sure its well edited and … (something) that I think that my local community would enjoy.”
Scents for every story
While Scott Probably Hates This Candle is still a bestseller for Green Creek Candle Company, Edwards offers more than 80 fragrances, many of them inspired by her favorite books.
Her candle Lightning & Dragons is inspired by Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing, and her Of Mists & Shadows candle is based on the described scent of the character Rhysand from Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Many of the candles are placed with their corresponding books inside the shop.
Bookish happenings
Edwards plans for Page & Flame to be a hub of activity, offering author events, midnight release parties, and two book clubs.
Page & Flame’s Fantasy Book Club will start May 2, looking at A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross, and its Mysteries Uncorked Society Book Club, a mystery and thriller book club with tea and wine refreshments, starts May 16, discussing Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose.
Visit Page & Flame
Page & Flame is located at 221 E. Rutherford St. in Landrum. The store is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sundays from 12-5 p.m.
Samantha Swann covers city news, development and culture in Spartanburg. She is a University of South Carolina Upstate and Greenville Technical College alumna. Contact her at sswann@shj.com or on Instagram at @sam_on_spartanburg.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Here’s how a viral TikTok candle led to a new bookstore in Landrum
