When the Sunset Fire was spreading rapidly and firefighters were setting containment lines, Harper Myers and her boyfriend, Colton Wolschon, were sitting at home when their phones buzzed with a notification.  

The area around their house was set to “Go” for evacuations after there was no “Ready” or “Set” stage, Myers said. So, in a panic, they grabbed their dog and two cats, threw together whatever they could into their car and headed off. As they left, they weren’t just leaving behind a home, but also the headquarters of Myers’ business, Up North Goods. 

The couple spent 12 days away from home, stuck in a hotel room in Sandpoint. While Wolschon worked, Myers was stuck. Without her home, her candle business that she had built from the ground up over five years was on the verge of falling apart.

“There were seven full days, where we were pretty certain we were going to lose the house,” Myers said. “To rebuild all that inventory, all my fragrance oils and all the things I use would have been a nightmare.” 

Luckily, their house survived and with it so did Myers’ candle-making dream. A few days after they were let back into their home, Myers was back to running her business at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market surrounded by the community that had helped her grow her hobby into a full-time job. 

"Everyone was so kind and supportive, they were like ‘How can we help?’ and I said, ‘Buy a candle, we’ve got a $3,000 bill at the hotel,’” Myers said. “I shouldn’t be surprised because I love the community of Sandpoint for this specific reason, but they were just so caring and awesome.” 

Myers’ dream began when she was attending Central Michigan University and taking a ceramics class. She said a teacher told her to turn one of her creations into a candle holder, her passion for the business was off and running. 

However, her jump to candle making wasn’t immediate. She continued pursuing her master’s degree and found a well-paying job as dietician, but that nagging feeling that she was supposed to be doing something else was always pulling at her. 

"I just kind of felt like anyone could do my job, I wasn’t making too much of a difference,” Myers said. “I was getting off of work and staying up late, working on this candle business and that was truly where my passion lies.”  

A focus on Myers’ candle making journey is using all-natural ingredients. She said that she used candles to help her focus when she was in school, but that they would always lead to headaches, which she credits to the artificial ingredients often found in store-bought candles.  

In addition to her retail business at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market, Myers has several wholesale clients that she provides candles for. She said that the upcoming three months are by far her busiest month, providing around a fourth of her total sales for the year. 

"That’s when it’s like five days a week, shipping all day long, trying to get wholesale orders out, with me fighting the clock until 4:30 when I have to leave my house and get to the post office,” Myers said. “But I love it, I need it, that month pays for my mortgage.” 

For Myers, candles aren’t merely a product, but an experience for people to enjoy based off experiences from Myers’ life. Candles can go through up to 10 to 15 revisions, as Myers works to evoke the emotion she felt in that moment. 

“I want to look at a candle, not just have it smell good, not just have it be non-toxic, I want to laugh or give me a little spark of joy,” Myers said. “There’s more than just a happy smell that goes into it.”  

Up North Goods candles might start with a unique name or scent idea, but they never end there. Myers’ next product line will be dedicated to honoring the firefighters who helped save her home and future. 

"They navigated us through the scariest moment of my life... you just think you’re going to lose everything,” Myers said. “We are so grateful, but we can’t do anything, how do we help, how do we say thank you to these people that scarified so much for us?” 

The candle will feature a blend of birch, cedar, fir and pine tree scents along with zero smoke elements to honor the forests that firefighters fight to protect. All proceeds from the candles will become donations to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. 

I have a whole new appreciation for [my home] and what it has allowed us to build,” Myers said. “I don’t think I’ll be taking that for granted for a long time.” 

    Up North Goods' candle that is dedicated to the firefighters that fought the Sunset Fire in Bonner County.