Pine Ridge Scents to offer scented candles, hand-crafted signs in Sherman

Contributed photo
NEW BUSINESS — Allicca Torres-Quirion, right, and her husband Dennis will soon be opening a new business from their home in Sherman. Pine Ridge Scents will feature home-made candles and other hand-crafted items.
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    SHERMAN — Relocating both a home and business to a new area can be a daunting challenge. Fortunately, Allicca Torres-Quirion of Sherman has a nose for coming up with new ideas.
    Torres-Quirion recently relocated from Livermore to Sherman after meeting Dennis Quirion, a driver with UPS in Houlton for 12 years. The couple married in October 2011. In Livermore, Torres-Quirion ran a successful home business selling scented candles and homemade signs. She is now bringing that business to her home in Sherman.
    Pine Ridge Scents opens for business on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Torres-Quirion’s home on 93 Island Falls Road in Sherman. Located in an Amish-built cabin, her business will be open by chance or appointment Monday through Saturday.
    “I have been in home-based business for almost 20 years, producing richly, Maine-focused scented candles and tarts,” Torres-Quirion said.
    One of her prized creations is a 17-pound candle, which was featured as New England’s largest jar candle in Country Sampler magazine.
    Torres-Quirrion makes all the candles and signs herself, with the help of several folks who help base coat, stain the signs and package or label the candles.
    “I have some moms and students that come and work for products, earning their Christmas gifts and products for their own use,” she said. “I have been doing that since my business started, bartering products for labor help and it has worked wonderfully for us and the helpers. I am able to accommodate odd hours, as our workshop, office and labeling is done from our home. I have worked in the past with Jobs for Maine grads and the high school mentoring and job shadowing.”
    Her favorite scent is difficult to pin down.
    “My favorite scent is whatever scent that I’m pouring at that time, she said. “It’s too hard to decide.”
    Producing a quality product is one of her top priorities.
    “One of the things we take great pride in is the consistency of our products,” she said. “Our customers have told us that over and over. Also we produce  our candles year round, some folks like to purchase Maine woods in the summer, not just at Christmas time, and these scents we carry year round. We may run out, but we will continue to carry the favorites.”
    Among the top sellers for scents are “Maine Woods” and “Hot Apple Pie.” Some of the more unusual scents are ones are our own Raspberry Crisp and Peanut Butter Cookie.
    She also offers a unique service to the area— custom painted signs.
    “My signs are hand lettered, not stenciled or computerized,” she said. “These are family affordable items from birth announcements to man caves from camp names to funny sayings. I can paint up your words, while you wait, on our wood or something you bring in. I’ve lettered things from canoe paddles to fireman boots.”
    If that weren’t enough, Torres-Quirion is also in the process of getting her kitchen licensed so she can start making jams, hot pepper jellies, dips and dilly beans.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
HAND MADE — Pine Ridge Scents owner Allicca Torres-Quirion makes a variety of hand-painted signs for every room in the house.
    “Our retail shop will mostly be Maine and U.S. hand made items,” she said. “We will feature many one of a kind items.”
    She also hopes to showcase the work of other community members to include such products as maple syrup, honey and homemade soap.
    “Folks have been very welcoming and stopping by or showing their support by honking and waving,” she said. “The interest has been exciting. One lady has come three times to see when we are opening. We had planned to open in the spring, but my grandmother needed our help and we moved her up to the county as well.”
    Torres-Quirrion’s mother also moved to Maine from Alabama and will be selling some of her items in the shop, such as hand-made dolls and sewings.
    “We all love the County and look forward to the patronage and servicing affordable Maine gifts,” Torres-Quirrion said. “We ship nationwide and have shipped as far as Germany, Japan and even have photos of our candles on the Great Wall of China.”
    Pine Ridge Scents’ products may also be popping up in stores around the County.
    “We appreciate the beauty of the Northern Maine woods and incorporate that in our arrangements and packaging,” she said. “We offer wholesale pricing to other shops for our custom painted signs, working with other businesses price points to deliver hand made in Maine craftsmanship with compatible pricing.”
    The couple’s website is updated regularly but only offers a small sampling of what is in their shop. For more information, visit www.FreshBakedRefills.com, e-mail freshbaked@fairpoint.net or call 365-4755.