A Treasure Valley candle maker with a Hyde Park flagship has opened a new storefront in downtown Boise, turning a space it once used purely for production into a full retail shop at 2232 W. Main Street. Lit & Co. says the location offers more than 90 fragrances of soy candles made right in the shop, along with jewelry, art, and home decor.
The new store, reported by BoiseDev, marks Lit & Co.'s second brick-and-mortar shop in the Treasure Valley, joining its flagship store in Hyde Park. The company had used the Main and 23rd Street space as a production facility for two years before converting it into a storefront, according to the outlet. Owner Kristen Jackson told BoiseDev the Main Street corridor was a good fit for the store, noting the location sits near downtown, a residential neighborhood, and local businesses.
From Hyde Park Roots to a Second Storefront
Lit & Co. has made soy candles in the Treasure Valley since 2013, per BoiseDev's reporting. On its own website, the company describes a slightly different founding year, stating it has been making small-batch natural soy candles and home fragrance since being founded in 2012, according to litandco.com. Jackson said the company remains locally dreamed up, owned and operated, and that it appreciates the support it has received from the community, per BoiseDev.
The brand's roots are closely tied to its original Hyde Park shop. A KIVI-TV neighborhood feature described that location as a local favorite, noting the company began by crafting high-quality soy candles in small batches using locally inspired scents, according to KIVI-TV. The station's feature also described the hands-on experience customers can expect in-store, including choosing a vessel, sampling from dozens of fragrance oils, and blending scents.
A DIY Bar and a Wider Retail Footprint
At the new downtown shop, as with its other locations, customers can build their own scent at a DIY fragrance bar for custom blending. Lit & Co.'s website describes the concept as blending a custom scent from more than 80 true-to-life fragrances, and the company says private parties and events are welcome at its shops. The downtown location also comes with its own dedicated parking lot, a detail BoiseDev noted in its report on the opening.
Beyond its own storefronts, Lit & Co. sells candles in stores across the Treasure Valley, including at Albertsons and the Boise Co-ops, per BoiseDev's account. The company is also available for wholesale, private label, and bulk candle orders for gifting or fundraising. Kristen Jackson has separately emphasized the product's domestic manufacturing, telling KIVI-TV in an earlier report that, “This is 100% soy, it's made in the United States.”
Expansion History Beyond Boise
The downtown opening continues a pattern of growth for the company. Back in March 2022, BoiseDev reported that Lit & Co. was planning a third location at Indian Creek Plaza in Caldwell, describing that space as about 500 square feet with an assortment of around 80 fragrances. At the time, the outlet reported the company operated on State Street and in Hyde Park. A KIVI-TV report from the same period said the Caldwell store was expected to open in June 2022, and separately noted that the company had locations in Boise's West End and Hyde Park.
The new downtown Boise shop is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to BoiseDev's reporting. The BoiseDev report on the opening was written by reporter Anna Daly.
