Open Arms Candle Co was originally started in late 2020 by me, the sole owner and operator of Open Arms, Lizzy. In January 2020 I tore my ACL and MCL in a skiing accident. Reconstruction surgery on my knee and the subsequent activity restrictions left me with a lot of heavy feelings and time on my hands. I was also an ICU nurse at the time and was unable to work for 6 months after my injury. The first Physical Therapist I worked with post op told me I needed to find a new hobby I could do indoors to replace the outdoor activities I had lost due to my restrictions. That is what led me to start making candles!

I have always loved burning candles in my home and wanted to learn to make them with the highest quality products I could find and get to choose and blend my own fragrances. After hours and hours of perfecting the craft purely for my own enjoyment, I realized I had actually come up with a really beautiful product. I decided to start my own business. This was also right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I called my business Open Arms because it felt like that’s what the world was missing especially now in a time of 6ft apart and quarantine.

My friends, family and people I had never met were extremely supportive and I had a successful candle business from fall of 2020 to fall of 2021. I closed Open Arms Candle Co when I left my home state of Florida to begin travel nursing. It was not feasible to bring all of my equipment and attempt to continue the business while traveling. My husband, our dog Shiloh, and I packed our whole life into our little Subaru Crosstrek and drove west.

Open Arms was closed indefinitely…. until now.

I’ve reopened my shop on a very small scale for a limited time. I will most likely open it 3-4 x a year for a month or so and have it closed in between. There is very limited stock so if you want something you might not want to wait!

Boookish Candle Line:

I met Lindsey Hart, author of The Thorns We Inherit, at a book signing at The Ripped Bodice in October of 2024 where we were waiting in line together. I started following her on Instagram and when she said she was writing a book I was immediately interested! From the very first few chapters of The Thorns We Inherit, I was instantly in love with the world, the mystery, the feelings and the characters.

While reading scenes and descriptions I kept having the persistent thought “I need to make a candle of this!” So I did! Just for fun, I made candles inspired by the book and sent them to Lindsey for fun. She loved them and asked if I would be interested in offering them for sale so other people who also love TTWI could enjoy them as well. I decided to reopen Open Arms Candle Co just for an exclusive line of The Thorns We Inherit Candles…And here we are!

In creating these candles, I took literally the descriptions in the book and my hope is that through the sense of smell, these candles give you a new way to experience the world of The Thorns We Inherit and further immerse you in this incredible world Lindsey has created.

It is my sincere hope that these candles bring you joy and enhance your reading experience!

This exclusive line of The Thorns We Inherit Candles is a soft launch for me restarting my business on a small scale. If you enjoy your candles, keep an eye out for new scents and options offerings in the future through this website or my Instagram @openarmscandleco .

Thank you for your support and happy reading (and lighting)!