Some souvenirs say “I went to Key West.” A Key West Candle and Bath Co. candle? That one feels like Key West—sunsets, sea air, and the kind of slow, golden happiness that makes you seriously consider listing your apartment and buying a boat.
Behind this little slice of paradise is Deejay Peak, a third-generation Floridian who moved to the Keys at 21, started digging through bar dumpsters (more on that in a second), and built something genuinely special from the ground up. Her studio and storefront at 1011 Whitehead Street—steps from Hemingway’s house, naturally—is part candle shop, part working studio, part “how is this even a real place” moment.
If you’ve never heard of Key West Candle and Bath Co., buckle up. This is the origin story you didn’t know you needed.
From Ice Cream to Candles—Via a Bar Dumpster
Deejay didn’t exactly plan to become a candle maker. She came to Key West at 21 because her parents opened an ice cream shop and needed someone to run it. She and her now-husband said yes—because they were 21, had no mortgage, no kids, and nothing to lose. Honestly, iconic decision-making.
When the ice cream shop slowed down (cruise ship traffic took a hit), her parents went mobile. Deejay, however, had already started tinkering with candles on the side. And when the store closed, she had $500, a concept, and zero intention of giving up.
What happened next is genuinely one of my favorite entrepreneurial origin stories. She started digging through dumpsters. Specifically, the dumpsters behind Rick’s Bar and Sloppy Joe’s—two of Key West’s most legendary watering holes. She’d befriend the managers, they’d save their top-shelf liquor bottles, and her husband would cut them and pour candles right in.
That’s it. That’s the whole business model. Recycled whiskey bottles, quality wax, and a whole lot of hustle. And it worked.
The Rebrand That Changed Everything
As magical as “dumpster-diving candle startup” is as a narrative, Deejay knew it wasn’t sustainable long-term—especially once she got pregnant with her daughter. So she rebranded, moved into frosted jars, and kept building.
But the real glow-up? That came from a Cracker Barrel.
Yes, really. She was on the mainland, staring at a wall of candles at Cracker Barrel, and had a full-on aha moment: her products weren’t representing Key West the way they should. They were clean and pretty, but they weren’t Key West.
So she got to work. She partnered with a local artist friend—a former neighbor who’d lived on the island—and had her hand-draw all the designs that now appear on the packaging. The result is vibrant, whimsical, and unmistakably tied to the island’s personality.
Turns out, Deejay accidentally channeled a very famous playbook. After redesigning her packaging, she discovered that Lilly Pulitzer’s breakthrough also happened in Key West—powered by local artists. “I found that story and I was like, oh, this makes so much sense,” she said. “This is right back to our roots.”
Quality You Can Actually Smell the Difference
Here’s the thing about mass-produced candles: they smell fine. Sweet, familiar, inoffensive. But they don’t smell real. Deejay was very intentional about changing that.
She uses premium soy wax and clean fragrances—and that decision wasn’t just about craftsmanship. Her daughter has asthma, which made it personal. She wanted products that were genuinely safe for her whole family, not just aesthetically pleasing on a shelf.
And in a tropical climate like Key West? Clean ingredients matter even more. Heat, humidity, and synthetic fragrances are not a great combo. Soy wax burns cooler and more evenly, and clean scents don’t get that weird artificial spike when the temperature climbs.
The bestselling scent? Blue Heaven—a fruity, creamy, coconut-peach-pineapple blend she developed in collaboration with the team at Blue Heaven restaurant. It started as a pancake-and-maple-syrup concept, but the restaurant’s input pushed it toward something more cocktail-inspired. It now smells like the best muddled drink you’ve ever had on a porch in the sunshine. Which, honestly? Goals.
Bath Products: Because Why Stop at Candles?
A mentor in Orlando gave Deejay some very solid advice: add bath products. There wasn’t much representation in the space, and it made sense to expand beyond candles into everything you’d want in your bathroom—or kitchen, or wherever you happen to be when you want to smell like paradise.
The Key West Candle and Bath Co. lineup now includes:
- Cold-pressed soaps — handmade, beautiful, and they smell incredible
- Hand soaps and body soaps — crafted with the same clean, quality ingredients
- Hand lotions — rich, nourishing, and Key West-scented (obviously)
- Shower gels — currently in development, but coming soon
The vision is simple: you should be able to fill your entire bathroom with Key West. Morning routine? Smells like the island. Doing dishes? Also smells like the island. It’s immersive self-care, and it’s kind of genius.
Inside 1011 Whitehead Street
Here’s something you don’t get at a big box store: walking in and watching your candle get made in real time.
The Key West Candle and Bath Co. storefront is a working studio. There’s no back room, no mystery. When you walk through the door, you might catch Deejay mid-pour, packing orders, or working on a batch of cold-pressed soap. Her husband pops in when his charter captain gigs slow down. Her mom. Her dad. It’s a whole family operation, and it feels like it.
The store came to be in a very Deejay way: she spotted an empty art gallery near her house, found out who owned the building, mailed him a candle and a letter, and waited. Three months of silence. Then a text. Then an hour-long conversation. Then a lease.
The space is small, but it’s intentional. The retail wall is well-stocked, the vibe is warm and lived-in, and the goal—Deejay’s actual goal, the thing she thinks about—is that you leave feeling like you joined her family, not just completed a transaction.
“I don’t care to just sell you a candle,” she said. “I want to know about you. I want to know where this little piece of art I’ve made is going.”
Try getting that kind of energy from a mobile Starbucks order.
Why Shopping Local in Key West Actually Matters
Key West has a creative community that punches well above its weight. Artists, makers, captains, chefs—people who chose this island on purpose and bring something real to it. When you buy from someone like Deejay, you’re not just taking home a product. You’re supporting the ecosystem that makes Key West worth visiting in the first place.
Deejay’s candles are now carried at the Key West Butterfly Conservatory, the airport, Hammerhead Surf Shop, Danger Charters, and shops all the way up to Key Largo. She earned those placements one email and one in-person pitch at a time. That’s not a supply chain—that’s a community.
And she keeps her hours intentional: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 2 PM, because she has a daughter to pick up from school and a nine-week-old at home. “I can always make up the money later,” she said. “This time with my kids is short.”
That’s Key West values right there. Life first. Business second. Candles a very close third.
Take a Piece of Paradise Home
Can’t make it to the island? No problem (though also: book the trip). Key West Candle and Bath Co. ships everything directly to your door. A few options worth knowing about:
- Travel tins — designed to fly without drama, perfect for carry-ons
- Glass candles in paper tubes — Deejay created these specifically so people wouldn’t stress about breakage on the way home
- Discovery kit — a two-ounce sample of every scent, so you can sniff your way to a decision before committing
You can shop at keywestcandleandbathco.com or through Facebook and Instagram. Wholesale inquiries are handled through the website too.
The Scent of Something Real
Deejay Peak started with $500, a borrowed dumpster, and a broken candle that made her feel like home was slipping away. She built something that now helps thousands of people hold onto a memory—of warm nights on Duval Street, ocean air, a cocktail at Blue Heaven, or the specific feeling of a place that gets under your skin.
That’s not just a candle. That’s bottled belonging.
So whether you stop by the studio on Whitehead Street or order from your couch, you’re getting a little piece of the real Key West—handmade, clean, and poured with intention.
And if that doesn’t make you want to book a flight? We really can’t help you.
