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Nikki Eiffe’s four-year-old daughter, known as Bean, rustles in a toy bin behind the counter of Eiffe’s James Street storefront. She settles on a doll that matches her Barbie T-shirt, babbling to herself as she walks the figurine across the floor.

She sits surrounded by shelves and shelves of candles. Some have birthday sprinkles throughout the candle wax while others have Froot Loops stuck to their tops. Eiffe said sometimes people buy huge numbers of candles all at once, drawn to scents like “Apple Picking” and “Adirondack Cabin.”

Her premium candle business — bug, bear & bean candles — is a chronological tribute to her three kids. Bug is her eight-year-old daughter, Bear is her six-year-old son and Bean is the youngest. Eiffe said her kids are a representation of her.

“The whole business is my baby,” Eiffe said.

Eiffe’s holiday collection will be launching in November. This is the busiest time of the year for her small business, she said.

Bug, bear & bean is one of several businesses that are reinventing Syracuse’s Eastwood neighborhood, which currently houses liquor stores and laundromats next to businesses like the charcuterie shop, The Curd Nerd and Eiffe’s business.

For Nikki’s sister Christiana Harmatiuk, who owns and operates her eyelash business, ilash artistry by Christiana, out of the same space, this is a welcome change.

“If it wasn’t for SU we wouldn’t really have much of anything,” Harmatiuk said. “The city of Syracuse makes it very hard to own a business, and our area is up and coming.”

Although the store is only open to customers Thursday through Sunday, Eiffe is often there organizing, preparing mail orders and pouring more candles.

Micaela Warren | Photo Editor

“One of my favorite things is when I hear someone walk in — I like to give people their space when they’re shopping, I don’t want to be up in their business — but they’ll talk to themselves and they’ll open a candle and be like, ‘oh my god it smells just like’ whatever the name of the candle is,” Eiffe said.

Eiffe, a first-time business owner, spent 11 years as an EMT before she stumbled into the candle-making space. After the birth of her first daughter, she came across an article on the harm that paraffin candles can cause. She switched to soy candles, which she quickly found weren’t as fragrant as she wanted them to be.

At the end of her pregnancy with Bean, she attempted her own recipe with a candle making kit given by her sister, one that would smell the whole time it burns and use no harmful chemicals. Seven months later, she perfected the method she uses in her candles today.

The candle scents range from “Big D Energy,” which has notes of wood, saffron and leather, to “Cotton Blossom,” which has hints of clean linen and sweet orange blossom. Eiffe uses a five-hour pour process that ensures the scented oils don’t just sink to the bottom but actually spread throughout the whole candle.

For the first two years, she worked out of her home before finding the storefront on James St. with Harmatiuk. She kept candles in her kitchen, dining room, basement, garage and anywhere else she could fit them.

“The way that she started from the confines of our small kitchen to being able to open up her own place in a relatively short amount of time — to me, that was the sign that things were looking pretty good for her,” said her husband, Jay.

Jay may not technically be involved in her business — although Eiffe admits he is often the muscle — but he’s supportive.

For Jay, this business is a testament to Nikki’s desire to give back. Bug, bear & bean’s Bravery candle series, for instance, has three candles: one for firefighters, one for police and one for military.

The matte black container of each candle in the Bravery series is engraved with an American flag by Dog House Designs, another small local business. A wooden top on the candle reads, “Always Come Home.”

Eiffe was inspired to create the series because several of her loved ones serve in these organizations. A portion of the proceeds from the candles go to The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Veterans Affairs and Concerns Of Police Survivors.
Nikki also has a candle called “Remembering Regan” in honor of Regan Shetsky, a Syracuse toddler who was hit by a car in her nursery parking lot in 2017. Five dollars from every candle purchased goes to Regan’s Acts of Kindness, which the Shetsky family created in Regan’s honor.

“She’s trying to give back to her community,” Jay said. “That’s just a small example of her character and how it shines through.”

Published on October 31, 2022 at 10:37 pm

Contact Sydney: sabergan@syr.edu