What Sea Love does

Sea Love is a privately held, Biddeford, Maine-based experiential retail franchise founded in 2017 by husband-and-wife team Stacy and Barry Miller. The company originated as a clean-burning candle hobby — launched after Barry Miller developed asthma reactions to conventional paraffin candles — and has evolved into a national franchise concept operating 15+ locations open or in development across the United States (New England, Midwest, Southeast, and West Coast). Core products center on a guided, in-store scent-blending experience where guests select from over 100 fragrance options with assistance from Certified Scent Stylists, then produce a personalized candle, reed diffuser, room spray, or apothecary item. The boutique half of each location carries a curated assortment of coastal-inspired home decor, apparel, accessories, and signature home fragrance SKUs.

The company's underlying technology is intentionally low-tech and physical: 100% US-grown soy wax, cotton-core (zero-lead) wicks, premium fragrance oils infused with essential oils, and proprietary formulation meeting RIFM and IFRA standards with Clean Scents, Prop 65, vegan, and phthalate-free certifications. Differentiation rests on a proprietary Certified Scent Stylist training program and a repeatable experiential format rather than software or automation. The franchise fee is $49,500 with total first-time investment between $108,850 and $250,000, SBA-approved with Benetrends financing support, and national development is led by Oakscale Franchise Partners.

Sea Love makes money from three streams: (1) one-time franchise fees and ongoing royalties from new and existing franchisees, (2) wholesale supply of product inputs (wax, vessels, fragrance oils, accessories) to franchise locations, and (3) franchisor-level support and brand marketing services. End-customer revenue is captured at the franchisee level through paid workshops, retail boutique sales, corporate/private events, and seasonal/holiday gifting. Customer segments include individual experiential consumers (date nights, girls' nights, gifting, self-care), corporate and group-event bookers, wellness-focused buyers attracted to clean ingredients, and coastal lifestyle enthusiasts. The company has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine (Top Emerging Brand 2025, #76 on Top 150 New & Emerging Brands 2026), FranServe (Fran-tastic Brand 2026), and Franchise Journal (Top Emerging Brand 2023).

Name

Sea Love

Legal name

Sea Love Franchise

Website

https://sealovefranchise.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sea Love is a privately held experiential retail franchise operating 15+ candle bar and boutique locations across the United States. It sells franchises and supplies products to independent operators who run guided scent-blending workshops and curated coastal-inspired home fragrance retail stores targeting consumers, groups, and corporate event clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Biddeford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Experiential Workshops: Guided scent-blending and candle-making workshops where guests create personalized fragrances and products. These immersive experiences serve as the primary customer acquisition channel and drive retail add-on sales. Revenue is per-session/per-person, appointment and event-driven.
2. Retail Boutique Sales: Sale of curated home fragrance products (candles, reed diffusers, room sprays, wax melters, fragrance oils), coastal-inspired home decor, apparel, accessories, gifts, and apothecary products (soaps, bath salts, shower steamers). Multi-channel retail revenue from in-store purchases.
3. Corporate Events and Private Bookings: Private group events, team-building sessions, birthday parties, date nights, and celebrations booked at individual franchise locations. Provides premium per-event revenue and drives new customer acquisition through word-of-mouth.
4. Seasonal Promotions and Gift Sales: Seasonal scent collections, holiday gift offerings, and subscription box concepts drive recurring retail revenue and repeat visits throughout the year.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sea Love operates an experiential fragrance bar franchise where guests participate in guided scent-blending workshops to create personalized candles and reed diffusers from over 100 fragrances, complemented by a curated retail boutique of coastal-inspired home fragrance, apothecary, and lifestyle products. The parent company sells the franchise rights, training, marketing, and ongoing support to individual franchisees who operate each boutique location across the US.

Product overview

Sea Love is an experiential retail franchise offering a candle bar and boutique concept. The core offering consists of guided scent-blending experiences and candle-making workshops where guests create personalized fragrances using over 100 scent options, supported by Certified Scent Stylists. The product portfolio includes: (1) Core Experience Products - Scent Blending Experience, Candle-Making Workshop, and Reed Diffuser Workshop; (2) Signature Retail Products - Sea Love candles (soy wax with cotton wicks), reed diffusers, room diffusers, wax melters, linen/room sprays, fragrance oils, and apothecary products (soaps, bath salts, shower steamers); (3) Coastal-Inspired Boutique - home decor, apparel, accessories, and gifts. The company also offers franchise opportunities for entrepreneurs to own a Sea Love location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scent Blending Experience Guided, immersive workshop where guests blend over 100 fragrances to create a personalized signature scent, which is then transformed into a custom candle or reed diffuser with support from Certified Scent Stylists. Targeted at individuals, couples, and groups seeking a memorable, personalized experience.
• Candle-Making Workshop Hands-on candle bar workshop where guests create personalized candles by selecting vessels and blending custom fragrances using 100% US-grown soy wax. Targeted at individuals, couples, families, and groups (date nights, birthdays, girls' nights, team-building).
• Reed Diffuser Workshop Interactive workshop where guests create custom reed diffusers using the same guided fragrance-blending process as the candle bar, offered as an alternative to candle-making. Targeted at guests who prefer a flame-free home fragrance format.
• Sea Love Signature Candles Retail home fragrance candles made with 100% US-grown soy wax, 100% cotton-core (zero lead) wicks, and premium fragrance oils infused with essential oils; available in various vessel styles, sizes, and finishes. Targeted at retail boutique shoppers and gift purchasers.
• Reed Diffusers (Retail) Retail reed diffuser home fragrance products sold in Sea Love boutiques, part of the signature home fragrance line. Targeted at retail boutique shoppers seeking flame-free home fragrance.
• Room Diffusers Electric and passive room diffuser products for continuous home fragrance, sold in Sea Love boutiques. Targeted at retail boutique shoppers.
• Wax Melters Wax warmer products for melting scented wax to release fragrance into rooms, sold in Sea Love boutiques. Targeted at retail boutique shoppers.
• Linen and Room Sprays Spray products for freshening linens and rooms with signature Sea Love fragrances, sold in Sea Love boutiques. Targeted at retail boutique shoppers and gift purchasers.
• Fragrance Oils Concentrated fragrance oils sold in Sea Love boutiques for various home fragrance applications, part of the apothecary product line. Targeted at retail boutique shoppers.
• Apothecary Products (Soaps, Bath Salts, Shower Steamers) Apothecary assortment of soaps, bath salts, shower steamers, and other soothing bath products in a variety of signature Sea Love scents, sold in Sea Love boutiques. Targeted at wellness-oriented retail shoppers and gift purchasers.
• Coastal-Inspired Home Decor and Lifestyle Products Curated boutique assortment of coastal-inspired home decor, apparel, accessories, and gifts sold alongside core fragrance products in Sea Love boutiques. Targeted at coastal-lifestyle enthusiasts and gift purchasers.
• Sea Love Candle Bar and Boutique Franchise Franchise business opportunity offering an experience-driven retail model combining immersive scent-blending workshops with a curated retail boutique. Franchise fee of $49,500 with minimum investment starting at $108,850 and total investment potential up to $250,000. Targeted at aspiring entrepreneurs and career changers seeking a lifestyle-oriented franchise with multi-channel revenue (workshops, retail, events, seasonal promotions).

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #76 on Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 150 New & Emerging Brands List for 2026
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Oakscale Franchise PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2025Oakscale Franchise Partners serves as Sea Love's franchise development partner supporting national expansion. Oakscale specializes in helping innovative brands scale efficiently by connecting them with passionate entrepreneurs. The partnership was announced in February 2025 to bring Sea Love's unique scent-blending experience to more communities nationwide. Oakscale helps identify qualified franchisees and supports franchise sales processes across new markets.
• Oakscale Franchise PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOakscale Franchise Partners is described as a full-service franchise development firm that connects emerging brands with qualified franchisees. Developed and supports the Sea Love franchised brand. Sea Love's franchise locations are awarded in partnership with Oakscale.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Scentbird: Scentbird is a fragrance subscription service delivering monthly perfume samples and candles. Adjacent to Sea Love's home-fragrance product and recurring-revenue model (seasonal / subscription mentioned in Sea Love's roadmap); differs in category (personal perfume vs. home fragrance) and channel (subscription vs. retail).

Direct peers

• The Candle Lab: The Candle Lab is one of the most direct competitors in the candle bar / scent-blending workshop space, operating both corporately and via franchising. Closely comparable to Sea Love in product (custom-scented candles), experience (guided blending), and target customer (experiential gifting, date nights, group events).
• Scent & Sip: Scent & Sip operates a network of candle-making workshop studios across multiple US markets, combining a BYOB/sip element with custom candle creation. Highly comparable to Sea Love in target use case (girls' nights, birthdays, team building) and pricing, though Sea Love differentiates with coastal branding and clean ingredients.
• The Wicksperience: The Wicksperience is a candle and fragrance bar franchise offering guided workshops similar to Sea Love's core experience. Directly comparable in business model (workshop + retail), target customer, and price point; an emerging direct competitor in the same niche.

Broad incumbents

• Bath & Body Works: Bath & Body Works is a large specialty retailer in personal care and home fragrance with broad mall-based distribution. Competes with Sea Love in candles, room sprays, and home fragrance; differs in scale, channel, and lack of experiential / clean-only positioning.
• Yankee Candle: Yankee Candle is the dominant mass-market home fragrance brand with national retail distribution and proprietary retail store locations. A broad incumbent that competes in the same product category (home fragrance) but lacks Sea Love's experiential, custom-blending, and clean-ingredient positioning.

Emerging players

• Boy Smells: Boy Smells is a premium, design-led candle and fragrance brand sold through DTC and select retail. Competes with Sea Love on candle product positioning (premium, design-forward) and a similar target demographic, but with no experiential or franchise component.
• Otherland: Otherland is a digitally-native, design-forward candle and home fragrance brand targeting the premium gifting segment. Comparable to Sea Love's candle retail line and coastal-inspired lifestyle aesthetic; competes for the same premium gift-purchase occasions but with a DTC, not retail-franchise, model.
• Homesick: Homesick is a direct-to-consumer candle and home fragrance brand built on nostalgic, location-inspired scents. Comparable to Sea Love's coastal-inspired positioning and boutique candle product line, though Homesick sells exclusively online and lacks the workshop experience.
• Pinch of Charm: Pinch of Charm operates smaller-scale candle and jewelry-making workshops and pop-up experiences, often for group events. Comparable to Sea Love's workshop and private events use case; smaller scale and less standardized than a multi-unit franchise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sealovehome
• Facebookfacebook.com/sealovehome
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sea-love
• Instagraminstagram.com/sealovehome

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sea Love