Pour a Candle Where Durham Once Stored Its Tobacco
A chandler takes you from jar to scent to wick, and the candle you pour is ready to collect three hours later.
Brightleaf Square's red-brick buildings on West Main Street once stored the tobacco that raised Durham to prominence. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Historic Brightleaf District, and the old warehouse spaces now hold restaurants, shops and a Paddywax Candle Bar.
The workshop is hands-on from the first minute, with a chandler beside you as you make one candle from start to finish. You choose the vessel and the fragrance, set the wick and pour. The candle is yours to keep.
Each seat is one person pouring one candle, with materials included. The price is the same at every age, from USD 49 per person.
Sessions start on the hour: 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Sunday. The studio is closed on Mondays. Booking confirms instantly and closes two hours before the start time. A shared session seats up to 16 people.
Durham Candle Pouring Workshop at PaddywaxA 60-minute pour in Brightleaf Square. One custom candle per seat, materials included.www.viator.comVessel, Fragrance, Wick, Then the Pour
The vessel comes first. Durham's menu offers a variety of them, and the jar you pick is the one the candle burns in at home. The scent comes second, chosen from the studio's seasonal pre-blended fragrances.
Mixing your own blend or bringing a jar from home is off the table: every fragrance and vessel goes through safety testing first. From there the chandler walks you through setting the wick, measuring the fragrance oil and pouring the wax. The studio puts the pour itself at around 45 minutes, inside the 60-minute booking.
Three Hours Before It Comes Home
A freshly poured candle needs three hours to cure, and it waits at the studio while it sets. Pick it up later that day during opening hours, or have it shipped within the continental US for USD 15 per candle. The studio holds candles for up to 30 days. After that, unclaimed ones go to a local charity.
Opening hours run 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday and 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sunday. The booking also brings 20% off the studio's retail products. Brightleaf Square's own tenant directory includes Nikos for Mediterranean food, Emmy Squared Pizza, Jeni's for something sweet, and Indio and Hamilton Hill Jewelry for browsing.
Who Fits at the Table
Hot wax and fragrance oil set the minimum age at five. Anyone under 18 needs a legal guardian to sign the studio's waiver. The guardian does not have to stay, as long as at least one chaperone does. The studio pitches the session for date nights, birthdays and bachelorette parties.
Drinks can come with you: beer, wine and seltzers only, with a USD 8 corking fee per bottle of wine or 6-pack, paid on site. Outside food stays out of public workshops.
The Viator listing marks the studio wheelchair accessible, with all areas and surfaces included, and says service animals are allowed and strollers fit. Public transportation is nearby. Sessions run in English.
The People at the Table
Reviewers tend to remember who sat with them. A guest in January 2026 wrote that Emma "patiently walked us thru choosing our candle container, picking a favorite scent (so many choices!), and then walking us thru making our candles." In July 2026 another named Lupe as the one who taught their group.
All four reviews on this listing give five stars, a small sample that points the same way. A March 2026 reviewer put the payoff plainly: "we get a candle of our own we created with a unique jar." A birthday group in August 2026 wrote, "We visited for a birthday activity, and the team was amazing!"
The studio sits in Suite 20i of Brightleaf Square, next to the shop Indio. The session starts and ends there.
📍 905 W Main St, Suite 20i, Durham, NC 27701
Cancel at least 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Later than that, the booking is non-refundable. Mobile or paper tickets are both accepted.
Leave the candle to set, spend a few hours around the courtyard, and collect a jar that smells the way you chose.