Spot the Shop: Treasure Trove. Co
Specializes in Handmade Candles in Black Mountain
More than two years ago, Tiwan Twitty decided he was going to start making his own candles. “I used to buy candles from Bath & Body Works for my wife all the time,” Tiwan Twitty said. “And then one day I started looking at what I was paying for them and looking at them like I could probably make this, so I just started doing some research.”
Now, Tiwan Twitty, along with his wife Nettie Twitty, have their own shop in Black Mountain. Treasure Trove Co. celebrated its first anniversary in December of 2023. Nettie Twitty said the idea for selling the candles came to the couple after she took some of her husband’s candles to work.
“He decided to start making them for us and then he told me to take some to work because I work at hospice full-time,” Nettie Twitty said. “Then it was just a hit from there.”
Creating Chemistry in Candle Making Process
Nettie Twitty said the idea for opening a store came because she was “frustrated” with Tiwan Twitty making candles in their home. Along with the candles Tiwan Twitty makes, the shop also sells work from local artisans, but Nettie Twitty said Treasure Trove Co. is “mostly a candle shop.”
Nettie Twitty said the candles are made with “high quality oils.” Tiwan Twitty described the candle-making process as “chemistry.” To make a candle, one has to find a wax, get it to a certain temperature, and then add a scent. It’s all about stirring, the way the wax is poured, and the temperature at which it is poured.
A Soothing and Relaxing Process
“It’s just something you have to kind of stumble through,” Tiwan Twitty said. “It’s not as complicated as it sounds, but you’ve just got to figure out what’s going to work for you as you’re going through it. That’s how you get it exactly as you want it.”
He said being in a good mood is essential for him to embark on the candle-making process. “It’s relaxing, especially once you know what you’re doing,” Tiwan Twitty said. “If I’m in a bad mood or something, I won’t make any candles that day. My mood has to be right before I make the candles.”
Challenges and Success
As a business, Nettie Twitty said the biggest success is when Treasure Trove Co. goes to markets around Black Mountain and Asheville selling their goods. She said getting out in public is essential for the business because the area the business is in has no foot traffic.
Nettie Twitty said that getting people in the door is one of the biggest challenges of the business. “Getting people to come because we’re just so far away from downtown Black Mountain, but just driving people here,” Nettie Twitty said. “Our next goal is to get online. We just use Facebook and Instagram right now.”
Growth and Future Plans
She said her favorite part of owning the business is meeting new people. For Tiwan Twitty, he said he hopes the business can continue to grow. He also makes lotions and is currently working on making more scents, but he said making lotions is more complicated than candles and is something he is working on.
He said he also hopes to continue to get a good response from Treasure Trove Co.’s customers. “I hope we can keep growing it,” Tiwan Twitty said. “Whether we do or not, I’m still going to continue to make them. It doesn’t matter if it grows or not, but I like getting the response that we’ve been getting from them.”
Visit Treasure Trove Co.
Treasure Trove Co. is located at 3028 U.S. 70 and is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
