When it comes to memories and nostalgia, the sense of smell reigns supreme. Closely linked to human recall and emotions, the sense of smell is one of our most powerful and dominant abilities.
Jennifer Burnley, owner of Lansdale’s beloved Scent and Sip, had that in mind when she launched her shop two-and-a-half years ago. And already, her roll of the dice on the fifth sense has paid off for both her family and her loyal, creative customers.
“It’s been crazy. From a sales perspective, everything is great,” said Burnley. “It’s magical. It’s better than being a bartender. We get all of the good humanness in people, without the nonsense.”
A Chicago native, Burnley moved to the area to pursue a relationship with her now-husband, Chris. After spending years in the corporate and tech sectors, Burnley decided to make a change and pursue a career as an entrepreneur.
“It was a mid-life opportunity,” said Burley. “I wasn’t home a lot, and I didn’t like myself when I saw it through my daughter’s eyes.”
Burnley initially considered working as a consultant, or purchasing into an existing franchise like Painting with a Twist, but ultimately decided to launch her own company with a focus on scents and consumables.
“The Painting with a Twist model is awesome, and they’re doing great with it, but it’s not a consumable,” said Burnley. “We had to figure out how to offer that great experience—retail theater—while also being able to bring people back.”
And thus, Scent and Sip was born.
Offering more than 40 different products, created via a wall of more than 160 fragrances, Scent and Sip allows guests and groups to creatively make everything from candles and body lotions to pet care and hair care items. Reservations typically run for 90 minutes, and guests are allowed—if not encouraged—to BYOB.
The experience begins with a small worksheet about what the guest wants to create, and then they head to the wall of candles to sample a variety of fragrances. Once they’ve narrowed their selections down to two-to-four scents, guests head to the blending bar to sample how they've blend together.
From there, guests are guided towards stirring the scents into their product, and afterwards, they create their own label.
“We celebrate a lot of birthdays, bridal showers, bachelorette parties, corporate milestones, etc,” said Burnley. “We hope that everyone that comes in here has something that they want to make. There are people who may not want candles, or can’t find a use for them, but they can certainly use hand sanitizer or soap.”
Among the most popular fragrances are champagne, vanilla, and lavender, but Burnley said the truly fascinating part of her business is picking up on the microtrends that surface, following large scale incidents regionally and globally.
“We find the microtrends fascinating, as I think it says something about us as a culture. Some of them can even be weekly or bi-weekly,” said Burnley. “For instance, after the fire in Paris, we had a sudden rush on the clove scent. It was strange, but people from all walks of life were suddenly interested in that scent. It was all over the news, and we think there could be a subconscious correlation between the incident and the scent at some level.”
In addition to the microtrends, Burnley said she loves to see when a scent triggers a memory in one of her guests; something that happens quite often.
“We see that in here all of the time, which is amazing,” said Burnley. “Strangers will be at the candle wall and they’ll hit a scent and say ‘That’s grandma’s house,’ then they’ll start talking and reminiscing. On a human level, that’s an amazing thing to see.”
Regarding what the future holds for Scent and Sip, Burnley said that she is looking to open a second location somewhere in the Lehigh Valley, and would like to eventually franchise the brand across the region.
Until then, you’ll find her smiling behind the counter at her shop in Lansdale, eagerly awaiting her next customer interaction.
“It’s liberating,” said Burnley. “I work more now that I ever did at my old jobs, but rarely does it ever feel like work. I love what I do.”
Scent and Sip is located at 323 West Main Street in Lansdale. For reservations or additional information, please call 267-663-7017 or visit them online at ScentandSip.com.
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