Adventures in Candle-Making: How This Couple Started Their Business in Provincetown

Your sense of smell is a powerful thing. Not only does it relay important information to your brain, but it can also trigger an emotion or a memory, and there's one small Provincetown business with owners who know this concept better than anyone. Recently, I spoke with one of the owners of Sniffs of Adventure, a boutique candle shop on Commercial Street, and found the store's origin story fascinating, hopeful, and inspiring.

How it all began

It was the year of the pandemic (remember those days?), and couple, Chris Swank and Adam Shane, who married in 2019, found themselves bound to their home just like everyone else. As a couple with an active on-the-go lifestyle and a love for travel, they needed something to distract themselves and occupy their time, after all, going anywhere was out of the question during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adam purchased a $25 candle making kit from Amazon and started experimenting with this new hobby. He would spend hours in the kitchen, turning it into a lab of sorts for his creations. Eventually, the kitchen island was covered with his handmade candles.

When I spoke with Chris, he said he picked up one of the candles Adam made, smelled it, and said it reminded him of an experience during one of their travels. Adam ordered more oils, and from that point on and with more candle scents created by Chris, it became a game to see what each candle reminded them of. Memories were triggered, and it was like "sniffing our own adventures," stated Chris. And that's how the name of "Sniffs of Adventures" came to be.

And this couple knows how to collaborate on the business, the candle scents, and the names. There is no long, drawn-out discussion, deliberation, or argument. They work extremely well together in their decision making, and that's why their business has become successful.

Developing the brand with labels

They asked their graphic designer friend, Tim, to create labels for their adventure-inspired candle scents, each with a clever name. Not only did their friend create graphics but took the label's artwork further by creating characters fitting of the particular adventure a candle was named after. Anytime I visit the store and look at the labels, I feel as though I am sharing the adventure with them. The artwork is fun and whimsical, and tells a story.

Making their first sale and creating the business

Friends of Chris and Adam were impressed by the scented candles and talked the couple into selling them online and establishing a social media presence. In July of 2020, they made their first online sale. Within a few short months, they set up a table outside their home in Provincetown with crates of candles for sale — and they would sell out every time!

This year (2025) marks the fifth year of Sniffs of Adventure. Their brick and mortar shop opened on Commercial Street in Provincetown in 2021, and they are open from the end of March/early April on weekends, seven days a week starting in May through October, and long weekends in November and December, and also when Provincetown has big events going on. Luckily, the season that Sniffs of Adventure is open is long, so you may be in town when they are open!

They had also expanded Sniffs of Adventure to a second location on Newbury Street in Boston three years ago, but they are closing that shop in September due to a spike in rent and the desire to focus more on special and seasonal events such as the holiday market at the Seaport in Boston and The Big E in Western Mass.

The favorites and most popular scents

I asked Chris was their top-seller/customer favorite was. He said that their number one seller is Shore Thoughts with notes of sea grass, sea minerals, and sage. Looking at the candle's description on the website, it states, "This adventure is based on mental well-being and mindfulness." Chris' personal favorite is the seasonal Gingerbread, while Adam's is Downward Dog, an ode to the couple's favorite canines.

As for a favorite travel memory, Chris said it would have to be the Croatian catamaran adventure they took with friends soon after opening the store in Provincetown. It was for a friend's 40th birthday, and an adventure they will never forget. It also inspired their candle Croatian Catamaran.

Including the scents mentioned above, Sniffs of Adventure currently offers 152 scents and debuts an additional 5-7 each year. Not only that, but they custom-create scents for businesses of all sizes, from a Marriott hotel in Boston to law firms and ad agencies, as well as weddings and fundraisers. And custom labels are created as well.

Where to find Sniffs of Adventure

If you find yourself in Provincetown, do yourself a favor and stop by Sniffs of Adventure located at 368a Commercial Street. Perhaps one of their 150+ scents will trigger a memory or emotion in you. During the off-season, when the store may be closed or if you can't make it to P'Town, you can order candles from the Sniffs of Adventure website —they ship nationwide to all 50 states! You can also follow the latest news and Chris and Adam's adventures on the Sniffs of Adventure Facebook page.