BY EVA MAYS
Chuck Penn didn’t set out to own a shop specializing in candles and other scented products. He worked for years as a social worker and then as the chief deputy assessor in Monongalia County.
But, in the early 2010s, his career trajectory changed when he came to the aid of a family member.
Penn recalled the year that the company that made his mother’s favorite scented product went out of business.
“She was devastated,” Penn said. “It wasn’t her season without her Orange and Clove. So, I went online and studied the art of fragrance combining, and I was able to replicate it.”
After reproducing that scent, Penn went on to make other blends. He concocted six fragrances that he began selling at trade shows. In 2017, he decided to go all-in. He attended a workshop offered through the West Virginia Small Business Administration and was introduced to business coach Sharon Stratton.
“She is amazing. She has been, undoubtedly, the biggest driving force in the success of the business. The WVSBA takes your dream and turns it into reality.”
The WVSBA helped connect Penn with funding sources for small businesses, and soon after he was able to open a shop — Penn & Company at 1 Fairmor Drive in Westover with his business partner and long-time friend Phillip Donnely.
Inside the white cottage is a line of scented products that include wax tarts, warming pods, oils, room sprays and potpourri.
“I have been shopping with Penn & Company since before they had a storefront, initially discovering them at a local fair,” said customer Suzy Stoltz. “Since the store in Westover has opened, there are even more things to love. The wax warming pods are my favorite product. They provide flexibility to change scents as often as I like with no mess.”
Penn’s line of scents has swelled over the years from the original six to more than 150.
“My favorite is Orange Ginger Tea,” said Stoltz. “The freshness of oranges, the spiciness of ginger and the earthy tea aromas are perfectly balanced. It is effervescent.”
“My typical customer is someone who really cares about creating a sense of warmth and intimacy in their home,” Penn said. “Fragrance is an enormously powerful thing. People are able to be transported to favorable memories or experiences through the olfactory route. We have one called Lemon Pound Cake. If you smell it, it instantly has the ability to transport you to your grandmother baking in the kitchen.”
The front section of the shop houses products and decor to match the current season. Further back, there is a room for baking and spice scents, and another for fruit and floral scents. Also on site is a room where Penn concocts his scents and handcrafts his products.
“People like to buy local. They like to know where their stuff is made. And when they walk into my shop, I can point and say, ‘back in that little kitchen is where your candle was produced.’”
The shop is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sundays. Due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the Morgantown area, Penn encourages customers to wear facial coverings in his shop and offers a hand-sanitizing station on the front porch.
Penn’s fragrance line is always growing.
“I add three or four new scents every year,” he said. “My long-term goal is for the shop to become a destination for celebrating the seasons, like, ‘let’s go see what Penn & Company has for spring.’”
As for the Orange and Clove that started it all, Penn said, “I still give it to my mom every Christmas.”
