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Seventh Avenue Apothecary
A Bay Area business is turning wax, woods and fragrance into something much bigger than a candle. FOX 13 photojournalist Mike Hughes reports.
YBOR CITY, Fla. - The sweet, rich aroma of Tampa history is no longer confined to brick cigar shops and old coffee counters on Seventh Avenue.
At Seventh Avenue Apothecary, a Bay Area family is capturing the spirit of Ybor City by hand-pouring memories directly into candle jars.
Owner Jessica Reisner and her team craft custom home fragrances designed to connect people to a place, spark nostalgia and completely transform the feeling of a room.
Ybor candle manufacturing
What we know:
The business operates out of a historic building on East Seventh Avenue that holds deep personal meaning for the family. While soy candles remain their specialty, the product lineup has grown to include room sprays, aroma oils and wax melts.
Seventh Avenue Apothecary has expanded into a custom manufacturer while keeping its community connection at the center.
In a city known for its history, Seventh Avenue Apothecary is part of a newer generation of Tampa makers keeping that spirit alive.
The business takes a traditional handmade product and turns it into something personal — one pour at a time.
For Reisner, each candle represents family, creativity and a connection to the surrounding community.
The creation process relies on simple components like wax, wicks and fragrance. From there, the team carefully measures, pours, cools, labels and packages every single item by hand.
A team member fills rows of glass jars by hand as part of the meticulous cooling and pouring process at the Tampa-based candle manufacturer.
Small business growth
The backstory:
The company follows a long tradition of independent makers and family-run shops in the neighborhood. Seventh Avenue Apothecary has scaled up from a neighborhood shop into a prominent manufacturer of private-label goods without losing its local identity.
Community scent experience
What you can do:
Customers can visit the brick-and-mortar shop at 3810 East Seventh Avenue in Ybor City. The storefront welcomes visitors Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and orders can be placed online at seventhavenuecandles.com.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 13’s Made In Tampa Bay segment, which interviewed Seventh Avenue Apothecary owner Jessica Reisner and documented the company's local manufacturing process.