FERGUS – Kristy Miller, founder and owner of The Scented Market, feels like this could mark the start of something new for her business.
The Scented Market won the award for Best Specialty Store at the Gifts and Decorative Accessories (GDA) 2025 Retailer Excellence Awards on June 18.
Miller said her “heart pounded a few extra beats” when she got the news she was even nominated.
The Scented Market’s specialty is making and selling candles and other scented products.
It has stores in Guelph, Fergus and Blue Mountain Village, as well as an online storefront for both Canada and the U.S. The products are made at the Guelph location.
The business had a humble beginning in 2018, when Miller made a candle on the kitchen stove with her family. Her teenage son had just learned how to use Shopify, and said he should make her a store.
When she began selling her candles, she ran the business out of her garage.
“Right from having my kids label jars and wick jars for me to having all kinds of clients pick up candle orders from a bin in my driveway, you know, it’s really come a long way, and I’m so proud of it,” said Miller.
“I really couldn’t have done it without the help of my team and really amazing people that have been in my life.”
The Scented Market and Miller have won Canadian awards in the past, but the GDA Retailer Excellence Awards encompass all of North America.
Miller travelled to Dallas, Texas for the award show.
She sees this, along with recently patenting The Scented Market in the U.S., as an opportunity to look into expansion.
“I would love global domination,” Miller said with a laugh.
“We’re really looking into expanding into the U.S., but there’s also so many incredible markets out there.
“I like to think big; what does it look like if we ship candles to, say, EU or UK?”
Miller attributes her success to community engagement.
She said all the stores have a claw-foot bathtub filled with hundreds of bath bombs, and a bicycle decorated with pampas grass to create interesting and recognizable moments in the shop.
Within this strategy, Miller sees communication as key.
“I feel like I’m a great communicator in a sense of the community knows exactly what’s happening, what’s going on with The Scented Market, when we’re launching new products and when we’re flipping seasons,” said Miller.
She hopes her successes can encourage others.
“I want to inspire someone, that they can do it too, and that it is possible,” she said.
“A lot of the times I travel to entrepreneurship classes at high schools or I’ve even been to the University of Guelph entrepreneurship class, and just let them know that it is possible, and something so small can be big if they’re willing to put time and effort into it.”