He’s burning the wick on both ends.
A Nassau County Army veteran has turned a hobby that he learned online during his deployment into dollars and scents with a new candle shop that is lighting up Long Island and providing an off-beat Valentine’s Day activity for couples.
“I want to lead by example,” Alex Moffatt, the owner of Baldwin’s Candle de Lite, told The Post. “For people to believe in you, you need to actually put in the work, show you can do it, and have the next person say, ‘I can do that, too.’”
Moffatt struck the match on his candlemaking career in 2021, when he and his wife were looking for something to do before he had to ship out to Saudi Arabia and decided to take a class in the old-time art.
“My wife and I had to drive out to New Jersey…when we got there, to say the least, it wasn’t to my expectations,” he recalled. “I knew I could do a better job.”
While overseas the following year, Moffatt dedicated almost all of his free time to learning the ins and outs of candlemaking through what he called “YouTube University.”
He learned enough about it that when he got home, he was able to make the dream a reality and open his shop in 2023.
The scented storefront, which operates late afternoons and evenings, is decorated with chandeliers and rows of designer candles on Merrick Road in the South Shore town.
Among the offerings at the store are BYOB candle creation classes for couples and private events for groups.
The sergeant’s goal is to give Long Islanders more things to do — especially in cold weather months.
“They took away all the movie theatres, the only thing you can really do is bowling,” Moffatt, who has a passion for candles and incense, said.
During the day, the owner works on the technical end for Verizon Fios and is taking business classes at Nassau Community College on certain evenings. Moffatt decided to pursue his first degree to set a good example for his twin teenage daughters.
“They kind of gave me a little shell shock and said, ‘Daddy, you’re successful, and you don’t have a degree. I said, ‘You know what? You’re right. So the next day I went to signed up for school.”
A hot reputation
Candle de Lite’s local prominence heated up with a little help from “The Breakfast Club” morning radio show after Moffatt cold-called hosts Charlemagne Tha God, DJ Envy, and Jess Hilarious on air in late 2023.
“One day on my way to Verizon, I just got the idea to call out of nowhere, and they actually let me through,” Moffatt recalled. “I told Charlmange that I own a candle store and I would love to bring you all some candles…he said, ‘Yeah, bring ’em up.”
That night, Moffatt dashed to his store and crafted as many candles as possible for the trio.
“The next morning, I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and went and sat at that station parking lot and waited for them to come in. Charlemagne liked them a lot and told me to bring more in.”
Since spreading the word, Moffatt has seen a spark of reliable growth and several repeat customers. He said patrons often love the candles they make so much that they don’t want to burn them and ultimately buy a second one.
Candle de Lite offers a Valentine’s Day special class for $60 per person, including a complimentary bottle of wine.
“I love being affordable,” Moffatt said. “When you come in, I want people to feel warm and relaxed and know they’re safe and are going to have a great time.”
