BEREA, Ky. — More than 40 local small businesses came together in Berea to showcase their homemade goods for the first annual Churchill Artisan Market. Among them was Ali and Alex Grise, a couple who make candles out of bourbon. 

What You Need To Know

  • The first annual Churchill Artisan Market was hosted in Berea, Kentucky on Sunday

  • The market invited 40 local artisans to sell items and make connections with other business owners 

  • Old Fashioned Wicks owners were happy to participate in the market

  • Ali and Alex Grise founded Old Fashioned Wicks in the fall of 2020

Ali and Alex work full-time in the healthcare industry. But during the height of the pandemic, they decided they needed new space for creativity.

“It is pretty heavy, it is pretty high stress, we were just looking for a creative outlet to do outside of that job just to unwind a little bit,” Ali said.

Old Fashioned Wicks candle display inside the Churchill Artisan Market (Spectrum News 1/Diamond Palmer)

Combining their love for bourbon and the desire to be eco-friendly, they launched Old Fashioned Wicks.

“So that is how our business started. We use recycled glass, mainly bourbon bottles. We have also ventured out with Ale-8-One bottles," Ali said. "We take them, we break them, sand them down and then make them into candles using soy wax and clean fragrance."

The couple relies on friends and family members to donate bourbon or Ale-8-One bottles for their soy candles. Alex is in charge of breaking and smoothing them out, while Ali makes the soy candles in a two hour process with clean fragrances similar to bourbon. 

“We agreed that if this ever starts feeling like work, then we would put it down for a while," Alex said. "For all intents and purposes we just want it to be as fun as possible."

Churchill Artisan Market Coordinator Kara Arvin said it's important to showcase small businesses in the Richmond-Berea and Lexington areas.

“I reached out to vendors I have on Etsy, I asked around and tried to make this as public as possible. Getting to share and build each other up has been amazing during this time,” Arvin said.

That is why the Grise’s were grateful to be included.

“We used to come to these kinds of events all the time and buy stuff. I mean, we still do but it is cool to be on the other side of that being a vendor and being set up,” Ali said. 

Arvin is hopeful to keep the Churchill artisan market going next year. She has her sights set on a Christmas market later this year.