This Month’s Featured Article

Making Scents

By Published On: June 3rd, 2023

This summer Hudson and lots of other towns in the Hudson Valley will be brimming with locals and visitors who are eager to explore, engage with others, and indulge in new experiences. Whether you’re a local resident entertaining weekend guests or a visitor from afar, be sure to visit Hudson, NY’s Poured Candle Bar for an in-shop experience and a token of your Hudson Valley lifestyle or weekend escape. 

Those who yearn to unwind with a drink and partake in an olfactory adventure can pour their own candles, which includes crafting their own custom scents. Fragrance is big business. According to Statista, a market and consumer data provider, revenue in the fragrances segment will amount to $8.71 billion in 2023. Beyond wearing scent, people use tantalizing fragrances to create ambiance in their environments at home, in the office, and beyond.

The beginning

Although PCB launched its first fragrance collection of candles, reed diffusers, and room sprays, entitled the Signature Series, in 2019, founders and husband dream team, Dennis Green and Ricky Tiscareno began scouting out a brick-and-mortar space a bit later than that.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic caused some delays, Green and Tiscareno opted to host a few pop-ups throughout the summer of 2019. In late 2020, the duo finally opened their retail space on Hudson’s bustling Warren Street.

“The inspiration behind the retail concept was to offer a bespoke fragrance experience in a hospitable, wine bar setting. We had been coming to Upstate New York for several years and felt like there was a void in the market of what could be a fun activity that would check all the boxes for retail, hospitality, and an experience for people visiting from the city,” said Green. 

A personal preference

Fragrance is so personal, and everyone has such strong emotions attached to scents. The idea of enabling the experience to be customizable to one’s preferences is what drove Green and Tiscareno’s initial inspiration on how to design the experience and how to make it different from other makers. 

“Our version allows customers to go on an independent olfactive journey and walk away with a meaningful product that is usually a token of their time spent in Hudson and the surrounding area,” said Tiscareno.  

Originally hailing from Toronto, Canada, Green relocated to New York to pursue a career in the fashion industry. Cued into design, color, and aesthetic, he managed sales and product development in the luxury knitwear space. 

After spending more than 15 years jet-setting the globe and working with various boutiques, department stores, designers, and overseas factories, he decided to shift gears and utilize his merchandising skills and strong business aptitude in sales and marketing in a different arena. 

Green moved forward with confidence as he helped build PCB, glancing back at his role and expertise in building several successful knitwear programs with marquee retailers across all sales channels. Fueled by that journey, he knew he could do it. 

Born and raised in San Jose, CA, Tiscareno spent his early twenties traveling the world as a professional dancer. He performed on cruise ships as well as in regional theater. After retiring from a performer role in New York, he moved into the tech space in customer service and operations-focused roles before transitioning into recruiting/talent acquisition. 

Tiscareno spent the better part of a decade in leadership roles as he managed recruiting teams and scaled both startups and a publicly traded company in the tech, fashion, luxury, and manufacturing industries. When Green and Tiscareno married their talents together, they created PCB.

The PCB experience

When guests walk into PCB, they are greeted by a well-curated shop complete with a bar. 

Guests may then sit either at PCB’s 20-person bar or at one of the small tables that are located towards the back of the shop. Once seated, they  find a tray in front of them stocked with all the tools they’ll need to create their custom fragrance. The lineup includes a clipboard adorned with the fragrance menu, a beaker, a gold stir stick, and a wick. 

“We walk guests through the custom fragrances as we guide them through the experience,” said Tiscareno. Guests have a choice of more than 70 fragrances, but they wind up narrowing that down to their top three choices, which each consist of a base note, mid note, and top note. 

As guests approach PCB’s fragrance wall, they’ll notice the 70-plus fragrances in candle form, categorized by where they live in the fragrance world. 

Once the guest commits to three fragrances, a PBC team member pulls the perfume grade oil for them to sniff before creating a unique sample of the custom-blended fragrance. This gives the customer a sense of how the fragrance will smell. Guests have a choice of crafting their own candles, colognes, perfumes, or reed diffusers. Prices depend on the type and size of their fragrance.

The custom fragrance experience starts at $48 plus a service charge for the standard experience. Premium vessels and ingredients are available for an additional charge.

Although candle bars certainly exist throughout the US, what differentiates this Hudson-based bar from others is a truly bespoke experience that involves high-quality products, exclusive retail items, and vessels that were designed by PCB’s team. That means they can’t be sourced anyplace else in the market. 

“Additionally, the hospitality side of our business is a game changer as people can order wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages to complement their experience,” said Green. 

The scents

“Our exclusive, in-house fragrances are designed to tell unique stories and capture moments in time; each drawing on the emotions and visuals embedded in the profile of the fragrance inspiration. For instance, our newly launched Continuum collection is all about light, landscapes, and movement,” said Tiscareno. 

The Aurora collection encapsulates the energy we all receive at the beginning of our day, whether from a ray of light, a hit of caffeine, bright florals, or bold citrus. 

The Passage collection is more about opening the doorways to our days, moving towards an open sky, with gusts of fresh air, faint florals, and a punch of fennel for clarity and focus. 

Other collections include Meridien, Tillage, Siesta, Forage, Nocturne, and Portage. PCB’s Perennial collection boasts more than two dozen scents, which are available year-round in the form of enticing candles, diffusers, and room sprays. Each caters to a different taste and mood. 

“We feel very fortunate to have had the success we’ve had so far both in our shop and through our online e-commerce sales (we sell all our products in store and online). We’ve had a ton of return customers who bring their friends and family in while they’re visiting Upstate as well. We’ve also gotten great feedback from customers who have gone to other candle bars and mention how elevated and personal our experience is over other stores,” revealed Green. 

The team suggests that those interested in engaging in this experience book a reservation, as the space has limited seats and tends to book up rather quickly, especially on the weekends. Be sure to book a spot for all people in your party. For parties of five or more, please call to ensure that the team can accommodate your desired day and time.

“Our story is ongoing, and the business is constantly evolving. Comparing where we started four years ago to where we are now is sometimes a little crazy to think about. We are very excited about the things we have planned for this upcoming season, so stay tuned to find out. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to stay informed,” concluded Tiscareno. • 

To learn more about Poured Candle Bar you can visit them at 711 Warren St. in Hudson,NY. Reservations are suggested. Call them at (518) 303-3878 or visit online at pouredcandlebar.com.