Meet Mollie Dickson | Chandler, Harbour Co

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mollie Dickson and we’ve shared our
conversation below.

Hi Mollie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The idea for Harbour Co. began on a trip to Australia. I was wandering the shops of Byron Bay when I found a boutique selling the most incredible gardenia soaps. I fell in love with their clean, pure scent. The smell reminded me of my first encounter with those glorious blooms in an Alabama greenhouse. I bought six bars!

Every time I used the soap, it brought back joyful memories of Australia. Soon, I found myself on a quest for similar products with clean ingredients and authentic scents. Sadly, I found more items that smelled like chemicals and not nature.

With that, the idea began to create a clean line of scents inspired by flowers, trees, herbs and citrus groves. As my grandmother told me, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” So the journey began.

Through trial and error I began to create the sent line. There were SO many errors and mis-steps. Scents we thought would be brilliant turned out to be nasty trial and error– but gradually things came together.

This passion project for authentic scents became Harbour Co. I never intended to create a small business- I am not sure if I found the project or the project found me. Regardless, I am enjoying the ride- bringing beautiful, clean scents into our customers’ homes.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career has been a series of endeavors that started in one place and ended up another– but ultimately every adventure landed me where I am today. Which is exactly where I was meant to be.

I have always been creative and every job has held that common thread. My experiences range from public relations where I was challenged to make Melba Toast (those dry toast crips) sexy to organizing a 400 person hurricane relief event in 14 days for 400 people. Both tasks were successfully accomplished with organization, creativity and team of amazing people who seamlessly worked to make them a success.

In my life, my jobs have included sailing instructor, camp counselor, retail management, marketing, public relations, interior design and event planning. All of these jobs share one common denominator- people. In each endeavor the goals has always been working with people, reaching people and relating to other humans in a personal way. Each job has had its ups and downs, but I can honestly say each of them led me to where I am today, as a licensed clinical therapist with my amazing company — Harbour.

I am not an artist like many of my friends, but I love to create– so Harbour was the perfect outlet for my creativity. I was able to use my marketing skills to create the band with the assistance of graphic designer Kelly Crimi. And my job as interior designed helped me create the aesthetic for Harbour.

The largest challenge I’ve had with Harbour is learning to scale the brand for production. I am a small company. I hand-pour every candle myself. Many people think I outsource the candles and put my labels on them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the time, effort and energy it takes to make each candle individually– that is how I began this company and how I intend maintain it moving forward. My other challenge is book keeping. I am a social scientist by trade so spreadsheets and taxes are daunting for me. I am still refiing my accounting — but it is a work in progress I find burdensome– but necessary.

As a counselor by trade, I understand that scents can evoke positive or negative reactions in people. Some reactions happen in the conscious and some in the unconscious. Often times, we smell something we like and we don’t. know why– or we smell something distasteful and we crinkle our nose. Are these past memories coming up? Or just preferences? Either way– when we smell as scent we enjoy, it will make us pause, breathe deeply, sigh and smile. It brings us into the here and now, and for a moment the pleasure that sent brings us is all we need. A pleasant scent will bring peace, tranquilly and ease into your home. That is my primary objective for Harbour.

Pleasurable scents in the rooms of our homes are a form of self-care. The scent is something you choose for yourself that brings you joy. In this world of social media and endless scrolling– we’ve gotten away from nature. It is my goal that a Harbour scent in your home will bring scents inspired by herbs, flowers, trees and fruit into your home.

Making candles and diffusers is so much fun for me. I find the process to be meditative. While making the candles, I will turn a great playlist or a listen to an inspiring podcast and create. Sending that peace from my home to yours.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first time I came to Charleston I feel in love. I was in of this undisturbed European city within the United States. The architecture, restaurants, markets and people captured my heart. It took me many year to make my Charleston my home, but now that I am here, I have found my forever Harbour.

When friends come to town the first place I send them downtown is the Exchange District— the area around Broad and Church Street. That part of Charleston is full of locally owned shops, restaurants and galleries. It is also a great jumping off point to walk Rainbow Row, the Battery and venture into the marketplace.

My favorite shop to purchase hostess gifts, cards or other self-care items is Mildred Newberry on Broad Street. Anne Liebergall has curated a unique collection of goods for her store. The shop is named for her grandmother— so we thought it only fitting that the Mildred candle (also named for my grandmother) be co-branded with Mildred Newberry. After all when two creative women have a grandmother named Mildred— it seemed cosmically divine.

Charleston’s finest gallery, in my opinion is Helena Fox Fine Art. Carolyn Fraser and Helena Fox have curated a brilliant collection of fine artist. As an example the gallery represents this year’s SEWE featured artist, Kathleen Dunphy— which speaks to their quality of artists. West Fraser is another favorite— his ability to capture the essence of the Low Country’s landscape is unmatched. As you gaze into a Fraser’s paintings you can almost smell the dewey air and the rich scent of the Spanish moss. But for all his brilliance, his greatest talent is his ability to capture the sun, clouds and sky that are so unique to this part of the world. Other artists I also adore in the gallery are Mary Erickson’s- and her ability to create the illusion of light on bird’s wings and Julian Davis’s whit, whimsey and detail within his work.

My favorite restaurants/eateries in the Exchange District not to miss are Brasserie La Basque, the Oak, Goat Sheep Cow and Harkin Cafe. Venturing out of the Exchange District, a place I always take guests is the Preservation Society Shop on lower King Street. The shop is full of all things local and Low Country— from Brackish, Smithy Ironware, Marsh Hen Grits to my new obsession Sakhar Jams. Proceeds from the store’s sales go back to the preservation work the society does in Charleston.

When headed to the beach my favorite spot for local flavor is Folly Beach. Folly is full of fun shops, restaurants and amazing beaches. If I am feeling fancy I will head to Kiawah and enjoy some time at Fresh Fields. But a visit to Kiawah is not complete without a stop at Rosebank Farms. Johnathan Kronsberg and his team are cooking up the best gourmet-to-go in the area— so don’t miss the refrigerators or freezers filled with their gourmet delights.
If I want to head out of town I love Botany Bay beach and Edisto. We had a fun day doing a photo shoot at Botony Bay last year— see the attached photos.

If I need to “check out” and get back to nature my favorite place is a about 90 minutes north of Charleston— Hobcaw Barony. Their website says it best, “the privately owned research reserve located on the coast near Georgetown, South Carolina. Hobcaw Barony’s 16,000 acres encompass a rich diversity of every common ecosystem found on the South Carolina coast, making this an unparalleled site for research in the environmental sciences. In addition, over 70 cultural sites on the Barony including cemeteries, slave cabins, and the Baruch’s homes all provide a time capsule for educators.”

My friend Sydney Miller is the director of development and organizes some amazing events you don’t want to miss— from their hunt breakfast to ecology summer camps for children. Hobcaw is a gem in the Low Country- it is what South Carolina looked like when our ancestors first arrived. Not to be missed.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shout out goes to the strong women who raised me to be persistent, mindful and adventurous. Two Harbour candles are dedicated to those ladies–Steamer Trunk and Mildred.

Steamer Trunk was named for my great grandmother, Miss Allie. Dickson. In the mid 1920’s sent her only son (my grandfather) to college and decided to embark upon an adventure. By herself, Miss Allie packed two large steamer trunks filled with gowns, gloves, hats and other essential clothing for an adventurous lady. She left Kentucky for New York City where she boarded a steamer ship to Europe. She traveled throughout Europe and found her way to the pyramids of Egypt. By herself, in the 1920s!. Growing up, Miss Allie’s steamer trunk remained in my grandparents attic, partially unpacked. I spent endless summer days playing dress up in her beaded gowns, smelling the exotic dried flowers and studying the post cards tucked away in the small drawers of the trunk. Steamer Trunk captures Miss Allie’s love of adventure and her powerful female energy.

The second shout out and candle name is for my grandmother, Mildred. Mildred was a lady in every way possible, but yet she was tough, hard working and frugal. She could serve an immaculate Sunday lunch with flowers, silver and English bone china, while doing all the cooking, cleaning and polishing herself. Nothing ever went to waste with my grandmother– everything had a purpose. The story behind the candle describes Mildred perfectly: “Every December my Grandmother, Mildred, received an enormous gift box of grapefruit from south Texas. We ate sectioned grapefruit for breakfast, grapefruit salads for lunch and candied grapefruit peel for dessert. Citrus scents permeated the kitchen and warmed our souls in the cold winter months.” The scent is ruby red and pink grapefruit, it is as clean, crisp and focused as Miss. Mildred herself.

The final shout out goes to my child Anne– for without their help, Harbour would not have the well-rounded line of scents we have today. My natural scent preference lean towards floral and citrus scents, while Anne’s is more earthy, woodsy and herbal. Between the two of us, and the great shut-in we call COVID, the complete line of Harbour scents developed. We had plenty of brilliant ideas that tanked, but the failures led us to the well-balanced line we offer today. I am forever grateful for their contributions and fun we had creating Harbour together.

If I’ve learned anything thought this process is we can not do anything on our own, We need people, we need community. For me, it was the help of strong, caring women who supported me as Harbour has organically grow into the brand we are today.

Website: www.harbour-co.com

Instagram: @harbourcandles_charleston

Facebook: Harbour_Candles

Image Credits
Photo credits– Mollie Dickson & Carolyn Fraser